" ITREALMS: 2018-11-04

Saturday, November 10, 2018

37 governorship candidates on display @Oyo - ITREALMS

The Oyo State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has released the names of governorship candidates and their running mates who will contest the 2019 governorship elections, reports ITREALMS.

From our research, there are 52 registered political parties currently operating in Oyo State out of the 91 registered political parties in the country but only 37 political parties have submitted names of candidates to run for the governorship election.

Below are the names of 37 Governorship Candidates presented by their political parties to participate in the 2019 forthcoming elections.
AAC               –          Akinwale Laosun
AAP                –          Rev. Adenike Morenikeji Victor-Tade
ACCORD       –          Saheed Adegboyega Ajadi
AD                  –          Oyedele (Hakeem) Oyebode Alao
ADC               –          Dele Ajadi
ADP                –          Cristopher Adebayo Alao Akala
AGA               –          David Oluwafemi Okunlola
ANN               –          Olabode Ayodele Johnson
APA                –          Adedoyin Tolulope Adeyeye
APC                –          Adebayo Adelabu
BNPP              –          Oladuni Ariyo Olaitan
C4C                –          Omotosho Paul Adeboye
DA                  –          Adegboyega Adelu
DPC                –          Babatunde Oye Ademola
DPP                 –          Omoteleola Folake Florence
GDPN             –          Ladipo Oluwole
HDP                –          Tijani Ismail Akinboye
ID                    –          Chief Oladapo Wasiu Atilola
JMPP              –          Ademola Babatunde Oye
KOWA           –          Olaide Olayiwola
LABOUR       –          Olatunji Adigun Sadiq
MAJA             –          Aderoju Ismail Balogun
MPN               –          Ojo Olayinka Kayode
NAC               –          Moshood Odelalu
NCP                –          Oloyade Michael Ayobami
NIP                  –          Sarumi-Aliyu Bolanle Ashabi
NPM               –          Edward Olufeyisayo Ladoye
NRM               –          Yinusa Kazeem Ayandoye
PDC                –          Akande akin Sanyaolu
PDP                 –          Seyi Makinde
PPC                 –          Taiwo Ibiyemi Otegbeye
PPN                 –          Gbadamosi Basiru Alagbe
SDP                 –          Mobolaji Ayorinde
SNC                –          Awolusi Olusegun Gaskin
SPN                 –          Bamigboye Abiodun Emman
UPP                 –          Rotimi Akande
ZLP                 –          Waheed A. Akanbi

The display is in accordance with the provision of the Electoral Act as amended.
Section 31 Subsection 3 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) provides for publication of personal particulars of all candidates contesting in 2015 general elections within seven days of the receipt of form CF 001.

Wole Adedoyin


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How should Nigerian Leftists vote? - ITREALMS



We begin with a proposition which may be framed this way: “The question as to how Nigerian Leftists should vote in the 2019 general elections will not arise if there are in existence, and participating in the elections, political parties that are serious, clearly Leftist, ideologically anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist and categorical on each of the burning questions before the Nigerian people, before the country, and before the nation”.

The proposition is enclosed in quotation marks—though it is new and comes from me—merely to indicate that it is fundamental at this critical point in Nigeria’s political history. My main references here are my published essays in the last 12 months on the need and the possibility of a resurgence of the Nigerian Left.

Our first task here is to try to explain some of the key terms of our proposition which, though loaded in form, is actually very simple and straight forward given the references I have just cited. This first task will be followed by an explanatory note on the proposition as a whole.


There are three other terms that require explanatory notes: ideological condition of being “clearly Leftist”; concreteness, definitiveness and clarity of manifesto; and “ideologically anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist”. The first can be summarized as commitment to the massive redeployment and redistribution of the nation’s resources to the working and toiling masses, the poor and the “rejects of life”; the second is “the people’s manifesto” which has been one of the central elements of my campaign and has virtually been presented in my published essays of the past 12 months; and the third is the requirement that the general character, proclamation and “body language”— if not programme content—of political Leftism in Nigeria of 2018 should be anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist.

With this extensive “glossary” at the back of our minds what our central proposition is saying may be broken down as follows: If there are, in existence, Leftist formations which satisfy the elementary general conditions that are embodied in the proposition, we ought to simply urge Nigerian Leftists to vote for them and their candidates where practically possible. If there are more than one formation in this category competing for a particular position, then Leftists should apply further (revolutionary) criteria to make a choice.

If, however, there is no Leftist formation satisfying the elementary general condition—which means that Nigerian Leftists and the popular masses are facing non-Leftist parties of varying sizes, strengths and colorations—Leftists may apply the two age-long dialectical criteria of choice which may here be framed as questions: Under what possible regime will the Nigerian Left be most able to grow stronger as an independent movement? And under what possible regime will the popular masses achieve wider and deeper freedoms and greater material and spiritual well-being?

For the avoidance of doubt, and for emphasis, the second criterion may be broken down into: One: Massive redeployment and redistribution of resources to the popular masses in a way that leads to rapid, radical, substantial and measurable amelioration of the present harsh conditions under which the popular masses live and reproduce their lives. Two: Introduction of a new structure of power and governance which will enhance people’s power and popular democracy. This new structure is conceived by factions of the ruling class as fiscal federalism, devolution of power or geopolitical restructuring. But I have conceived and presented it as “restructuring under popular democracy” or “popular-democratic restructuring.” Three: Democratization of the state. (Here it is important to note that what we are employing is the language of “electoral struggle” and not that of “call to arms”!).
The attributes which we have, in this piece, prescribed to Nigerian Leftists as minimum general conditions for the adoption of a political party for voting purposes are abstractions from elements of a draft platform (people’s manifesto) which we had earlier—in a series of published essays over the last 12 months—prescribed for the establishment of a strongly-rooted and substantial organization of the Nigerian Left, or a Leftist “organization of a new type”.

The main difference is that we are not, and should not be imposing, too rigorous conditions on the strategy, tactics, methods and internal regime of a political party if we are only considering it for voting purposes and not for membership. It is because this new organization of the Left—signaling a resurgence—has not emerged that we are proposing conditions for adopting (existing) Leftist or non-Leftist parties for voting purposes. When the organization of our expectation emerges the debate of what parties to adopt or vote for ceases and direct struggle for power genuinely begins.

In an essay entitled In this 20th year of “democracy” and published on June 13, 2018, I proposed a scenario for the emergence of a Leftist “organization of a new type.” I re-present the relevant segment: “A small ad-hoc group of Nigerian Leftists—from the ranks of revolutionary Marxists—should volunteer and select themselves and assume the revolutionary responsibility of convening an all-Nigeria “unity meeting” of Leftists (Marxists, socialists and radical democrats). The ad-hoc group should present the following to the meeting: a draft people’s manifesto, a draft memorandum on participation in electoral politics, a draft newsletter, a provisional coordinating and documentation centre, a draft “unifying name” and a draft programme and structure”. Every other thing will follow from that meeting.

In the absence of this “organization of a new type”, how do we advise the masses (that is, beyond hard-core Leftists) as the campaigns begin? In the first place, political sense dictates that we advise and encourage the masses to exercise their right to vote. In the second place, the irreducible need for political consistency and credibility dictates that we popularize the conditions we have prescribed to the Leftists. But in doing this we also need to reduce the insistence. For the masses are not being mobilized for a national examination or war of survival! The range of choices before the masses—in the absence of Leftist intervention—eloquently says so. Only for Leftists is it imperative to apprehend the possible dynamics of the current situation in the country. And this situation goes beyond campaigns for the 2019 elections.

To conclude: In my piece, Differences in the Nigerian Left of October 4, 2018, I acknowledged that major and minor differences do exist and have existed for long in the movement. This is an objective fact of history. I also know that a new organization of the Nigerian Left which hopefully will emerge on the platform we have been articulating will not embrace all tendencies and all formations in the movement. The hope, however, is that if the resurgence project is pursued with seriousness, honesty and dedication, the emerging formation will pull together most of the virile and truly Leftist formations and individuals in the Nigerian Left. Only then will the struggle enter a new phase.

*Contributed by Edwin Madunagu, mathematician and journalist, writes from Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria.


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Nigeria safe for tourism says Minister - ITREALMS

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the successful, two-week tour of cultural heritage and historic sites across the country by local and foreign bikers, under the auspices of the Latin America Motorcycles Association (LAMA), has confirmed that Nigeria is now safe for tourism and business, reports ITREALMS.

The Minister made the remarks in Abuja on Monday while bidding farewell to the foreign bikers at the end of the tour that took them to eight states covering four geo-political zones and the Federal
Capital Territory (FCT).

“From the report that I have received, this tour is a great success. It is also an attestation to the fact that Nigeria is indeed a safe destination for tourists and business people alike. Yes, there are security challenges here and there - and this is not peculiar to Nigeria. But our country is safer today than it was before the advent of this Administration in 2015, thanks to the political will shown by the Administration and the commitment of our security agencies,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed said the bikers who crisscrossed Nigeria by road all returned to Abuja, the starting point of the tour, safe and sound and will be in a better position to tell the world the situation in the country.

“They are not armchair analysts or critics. They are practical men and women who zoomed across the country on their power bikes. No one can tell the story better than them. And the feedback we have received is overwhelmingly positive,” he said.

The Minister said the tour, which he flagged off in Abuja on 23rd of October 2018, took the bikers to Niger, Kogi, Enugu, Cross River, Rivers, Edo, Oyo and Lagos as well as the FCT.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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First Bank goes into WhatsApp banking - ITREALMS

First Bank of Nigeria Plc has gone into WhatsApp chat banking to make banking expedient for acclaimed 12.5 million customers, reports ITREALMS.
Managing Director, First Bank plc, Dr Adesola Adeduntan, said at the unveiling Friday in its Digital Lab in Yaba-Lagos, that the FirstBank Chat Banking on WhatsApp was launched as part of determination to offer satisfactory financial services to customers by devising ways of effectively meeting their needs.
Also, he said that the bank had optimised digital banking for convenience, considering he fact it has over 12.5m customers.
“Since we have 12.5 million customers with 20 billion worth of transactions monthly, it has become necessary for us to create new technology innovations to meet their needs.
“Our FirstMobile app, Firstonline, FirstMonie and USSD banking are some of the channels we have put in place to make this happen.
“FirstBank Chat Banking on Whatsapp is our latest addition. We have gone live with this product, and we are pleased to formally introduce this product to our media partners today,’’ he said.
The managing director said that the app was another significant milestone in the bank’s mission to provide convenient and fast payment solutions to its customers.
“It is a new channel for access to our services; a convenient way to make payment and an easy-to-use banking application.
“Banking with FirstBank on WhatsApp is secure, accessible and convenient.
“You can now carry out basic banking transactions such as inter and intra bank fund transfer, pay bills, buy airtime, buy data and check your account balance on your WhatsApp,” he said.

 *Nenye Dom with additional reports by Daily Trust.

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Friday, November 09, 2018

Buhari jets out to Paris for peace forum - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:
President Muhammadu Buhari has departed the seat of power, Abuja on Friday for Paris, France to participate in the first edition of the Paris Peace Forum, November 11-13, reports ITREALMS.

Organised by the French Government and a number of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), the Forum is based on the “simple idea that international cooperation is key to tackling global challenges and ensuring durable peace.”

The Nigerian President will join the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres and other world leaders in discussing contributions towards global peace while underscoring the imperative of collective action.

While in Paris, President Buhari will also join other world leaders to commemorate the centenary anniversary of the Armistice signed on November 11, 1918 between the Allied Forces and Germany in the forest of Compiegne in France to end the First World War.

During his visit to Paris, President Buhari will attend a luncheon hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France in honour of visiting heads of delegations.

Before returning to Abuja, the President and his delegation will have an interactive session with the Nigerian Community in France.

President Buhari will be accompanied to Paris by Governors Aminu Masari, Willie Obiano and Kayode Fayemi of Katsina, Anambra and Ekiti States, respectively. Others include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; the National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd); and the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar.

Uboshe Uboshe/ GEE

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12 journalists on death list - ITREALMS

The Ugandan media fraternity woke up to shocking news of death threats to twelve journalists operating within the Southern Buganda region, reports ITREALMS.

This was after a letter containing the names of twelve (12) different journalists was discovered at the South Buganda Journalists Association (SOBUJA) offices in Masaka threatening to shoot or poison the said journalists.

According to the message typed on a white paper in block letters in the Luganda language, the said attack(s) gave a different reason over why each of the said journalists was to be killed. The document didn't however specify when the intended killings would be effected.

The journalists whose names were on the anonymous letter include: Tomusange Kayinja, Kalanzi Jamiru, Male John and Ssozi Ssekimpi of the Central Broadcasting Services (CBS FM), Nsubuga Robert of BBS TV, Jacinta Bwanika of Bukedde, Mukasa Kipecu and Kabugu Norman of Kamunye, Dismas Buregeya of New Vision, Mutyaba Gertrude of Daily Monitor, Issa Aliga of NTV and Farisi Magembe of NBS Television.

Nsubuga Robert, one of the targeted journalists, told Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) that a brown envelope containing the list of the targeted journalists was found at the entrance of the CBS FM Bureau office located at Laston Business Centre Building and another envelope containing the same threatening message was found at the entrance of the SOBUJA office, all of which located in Masaka Town, South Western Uganda.

"I am in fear for my life given the current trend of senseless killings that start with the perpetrators sending their victims similar threats," Nsubuga intimated to HRNJ-Uganda.

Another journalist, Dismas Buregeya, told HRNJ-Uganda that a team from the District Internal Security Office (ISO) led by Lieutenant Andrew Kandiho went to the office of SOBUJA and took the document, promising to carry out further investigations into possible sources.

A month ago, one of the journalists on the target list, Tomusange Kayinja of CBS FM, was nearly shot when unknown assailants waylaid him as he returned to his home. They fired at his car shattering its hind windscreen just a few meters from his residence.

Kayinja told HRNJ-Uganda that he is more scared for his life since these threats have come barely a few months after an attempt on his life by gunmen in the night.

"The death threats to the journalists must be taken seriously by all the security forces which must then move fast to protect them from the possible attacks by anonymous people, and also investigate to bring the perpetrators to book. Journalists must not be punished for doing their work, instead if anyone is aggrieved by their work, they should resort to the due processes of the law. The safety of journalists must be taken as a priority at all times," said the HRNJ-Uganda Executive Director, Robert Ssempala.




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Online data: Study says even family, friends, govt not trusted - ITREALMS

International study has shown shows that people and organisations don’t fully trust anyone when it comes to their online data, including from cybercriminals to their own government, employers and even family, people worry about who could access their online life, reports ITREALMS.

Latest study of mid-size businesses and consumers reveals that many were confused and lack trust when it comes to the privacy and security of their online data and behaviour. The research, which covered six countries in Europe and North America, found that people worry that hackers, their own and foreign governments, employers and even friends and family might want to access their online data, and how to stop them.

The independent study, commissioned by Kaspersky Lab (www.Kaspersky.com) with the data analysis undertaken by Applied Marketing Research, surveyed 600 mid-sized companies with IT security professionals as well as 6,000 consumers with security software installed on their devices, split equally across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US.

The top unwelcome intruders were, not surprisingly, cybercriminals, with 45% of businesses and 47% of consumers worried about protecting their online data from malicious attack. But this is followed closely by wanting to protect it from their own government (36% and 33% respectively), and foreign governments and companies (30% and 26%). As many as one in three (29%) business respondents have concerns about their employer getting to their online data, while a quarter (26%) of consumers worry about their family snooping.

These concerns extended to cybersecurity, where there was widespread confusion about the information cybersecurity providers could access. Many respondents worry that their provider might gather their online data, opinions, location or browsing habits and then share this information with foreign entities. However, the vast majority (87% of businesses and 82% of consumers) trust their security provider to behave ethically in the collection and use of their data.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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NCS lists top 5 IT Personalities, voting commences - ITREALMS

The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has shortlisted the top 5 contestants in the 2018 Information Technology (IT) Personality of the Year category of the National Information Technology Merit Awards (NITMA), reports ITREALMS.

Revealing this to ITREALMS in Lagos, NCS President, Prof. Adesola Aderounmu, said that voting has commenced to pick the best among equals by members of NCS strictly.

He also noted that the IT Personality Year Award also known as the NCS President’s award will acknowledge and celebrate individuals that have excelled in our tech sector during the year.

“In 2018, nominees for this most prestigious award are: Mr. Charles Emembolu – CEO Crestsage Limited, Mr. Adebayo Atekoja – MD/CEO Power soft Integrated Solutions Limited, Adedoyin Odunfa – MD/CEO Digital Jewels Limited, Mr. Peter Arogundade – Managing Director Sidmach Technologies and Mr. Tunde Badejo – MD/CEO Soft Alliance and Resources Limited,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo and the Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede are to headline honourary fellowships at the 2018 National Information Technology Merit Awards (NITMA), reports ITREALMS.

Confirming this to ITREALMS, the National President of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Prof Adesola Aderounmu, whose organization hosts NITMA, said the duo will be honoured for their dedication and exemplary service to Information Technology (IT) growth and development in Nigeria.

“Honorary Fellowship will be conferred on the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Prof. Yemi Osibanjo and the Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede for their dedication and exemplary service to IT growth and development in Nigeria,” he said.

This, he said, is in line with the advocacy efforts of NCS to achieve sustainable development in Nigeria through Information Technology, NCS promotes excellence and significant impact.

“I urge you to join NCS to celebrate the champions who are using technology to change society for good,” the president said.

Yearly, he recalled that NCS recognizes, celebrates and rewards outstanding excellence and exceptional contributions in the Information Technology field through the unique national platform NITMA provides.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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BUA completes Okpella cement facility, targets 8m MTPA - ITREALMS


ITREALMS:
The BUA Cement has completed its factory in Okpella in Edo State, with a cumulative target of 8 million Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) across plants, reports ITREALMS.

This is coming barely six months after commissioning BUA’s 1.5million mtpa Kalambaina Cement Plant in Sokoto State, whereas the MTPA Obu II has 3 million MTPA.

This, ITREALMS gathered will bring the total capacity of BUA Obu cement operations to 6million tonnes and move the entire Group’s installed capacity to 8million MTPA, even as a date for commissioning of the latest plant would be announced soon.

Speaking at a business forum recently, Abdul Samad Rabiu, Founder & Executive Chairman of BUA Group – owners of BUA Cement, said that the completion of BUA’s Obu Cement 2nd line puts BUA Cement in prime position to be Nigeria’s second largest cement producers by volume in a short while.

A press statement made available to ITREALMS by the Group Head, Corporate Communications at BUA Group, Mr. O'tega Ogra, quoted the Executive Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, as saying “Through a strategic combination of BUA Cement’s newer, more energy efficient plants and the proximity of our factory locations to key regional markets across Nigeria, BUA Cement has in no time become the industry leader in capacity utilization as well as maintaining a strong presence and brand leadership position in regional markets where it operates.

“The nature of the formulation of BUA Cement’s products and the product strength has seen it dubbed, “King of Strength” by blockmakers as well as others in the construction industry in Nigeria”, he said.

In addition, BUA Cement has also entered into a partnership with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and Industrial Training Fund to train thousands of blockmakers across Nigeria on the proper mix and techniques for blockmaking to reduce the rates of building collapse in Nigeria.

The completion of the new 3million mtpa BUA Obu II Cement Plant will see BUA’s installed capacity rise to 8million metric tons by the time it fully becomes operational in December 2018. The plant has the capacity to run on multifuels – gas and heavy oils, and will give BUA Cement a stronger foothold in the South-South and South East markets in Nigeria where it has become the preferred brand of cement. By virtue of its location in Okpella, Edo State, BUA Obu Cement plants are 5hours away from all the major markets across Nigeria.

BUA Group had revealed last year that it built a 50km pipeline to carry gas to fire its gas turbines at its Obu Cement Plant.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Pix: Rabiu, Executive Chairman of BUA Group and pix of plant in Okpella

Thursday, November 08, 2018

Study: Autonomous vehicles to shape future urban tourism - ITREALMS

The Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) have been discovered with the capabilities to shape future urban tourism, reports ITREALMS.

In the first study of its kind, published in the Annals of Tourism Research, academics from the University of Surrey and the University of Oxford have examined how Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) may have a substantial impact on the future of urban tourism.

When we think of automated vehicles it seems to be a topic that sits firmly in science fiction, from cars with character in The Love Bug (1969) and Knight Rider (1982) to more recent practical representations in Minority Report (2002). However, according to the new research by Professor Scott Cohen (University of Surrey) and Dr Debbie Hopkins(University of Oxford), CAVs may be spotted on our roads as soon 2025 and could lead to far-reaching impacts on urban tourism.

The conceptual paper entitled Autonomous vehicles and the future of urban tourism imagined the impact of AVs in future urban tourism and focuses on the pros and cons of these impacts with regards to the transformation of urban space, the rise of autonomous taxis, and changes to city sightseeing and hospitality in the urban night.

Potential benefits include reduced traffic congestion and emissions, improved foreign car hire processes, reduced parking requirements and cheaper taxi fares. AVs may impact other industries in radical ways too, such as Amsterdam’s Red Light District, which could become operated out of moving AVs, and restaurants and hotels may encounter new competition in the form of AV dining cars and passengers sleeping in their moving vehicles.

AVs are also the subject of many concerns. More time spent in cars on longer journeys could facilitate greater urban sprawl and increase car dependency. AVs may reduce demand for train travel, coach tours, public transport and driven taxis - all resulting in future job losses. The potential for terrorism facilitated by AVs also raises genuine security fears.

Professor Cohen, Head of Tourism and Transport at Surrey’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, said: “This groundbreaking study will benefit urban planners, policy makers and the tourism and hospitality industries, who will face a range of threats and opportunities as AVs begin to reach the mass market in the coming decade.

“The visitor economy will be gradually transformed if AVs become fully automated and mainstream, leading to a future where hordes of small AVs could congest urban attractions, hop-on hop-off city bus tours may go out of business altogether, motorways between cities could fill at night with slow-moving AVs carrying sleeping occupants and commercial sex in moving AVs becomes a growing phenomenon.”

The paper calls for future work that provides context-specific analyses that may reveal alternative ways of thinking about AVs for urban tourism. Its release coincides this week with the World Travel Market and European Tourism Day on 7 November and acts as a timely reminder of the rising importance and significance of AVs in tourism to industry and policy makers.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Osibanjo, Ogunbodede to headline 2018 NITMA award, fellows - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:
The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Prof. Yemi Osibanjo and the Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede are to headline honourary fellowships at the 2018 National Information Technology Merit Awards (NITMA), reports ITREALMS.

Disclosing this to ITREALMS, the National President of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Prof Adesola Aderounmu, whose organization hosts NITMA, said the duo were chosen for their dedication and exemplary service to Information Technology (IT) growth and development in Nigeria.

“Honorary Fellowship will be conferred on the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Prof. Yemi Osibanjo and the Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede for their dedication and exemplary service to IT growth and development in Nigeria,” he said.

This, he said, is in line with the advocacy efforts of NCS to achieve sustainable development in Nigeria through Information Technology, NCS promotes excellence and significant impact.

“I urge you to join NCS to celebrate the champions who are using technology to change society for good,” the president said.

Yearly, he recalled that NCS recognizes, celebrates and rewards outstanding excellence and exceptional contributions in the Information Technology field through the unique national platform NITMA provides.

“Our focus as a society is progress for the sector in particular and for the nation as a whole,” he asserted.

Pointing out that NCS, as the acknowledged professional authority facilitating the development of an inclusive, globally competitive, prosperous and knowledge-based Nigeria, is committed to recognizing and rewarding outstanding hard work and excellence in accelerating IT development.

Also, Aderounmu noted that professional fellowships will be conferred on members of NCS who are recognized as authorities in their field of computing and have distinguished themselves through significant contribution to the growth of Information Technology through their professional expertise and activities.

Chuks Egbune/GEE


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AMP says Sony Odogwu 'worthy African son,' condoles family - ITREALMS

Anioma Media Professionals (AMP) has offered its condolences to the family of Chief Sony Iwedike Odogwu, the Ide Ahaba who passed at 91, reports ITREALMS.

The national leader of AMP and its publicity secretary, Messrs. Hugo Odiogor and Ken Ugbechie respectively, in a press statement made available to ITREALMS, described his exit as a huge loss to the Anioma nation and Africa in general.

The Ide Ahaba was born on March 20, 1927 into the royal lineage of Obi Odimma Odogwu, the first paramount Chief of Asaba.

A spokesman of the family, Mr. Ken Odogwu, in a telephone chat said his father made a glorious exit after age-related ailments.

Ken Odogwu who is the eldest son of the late doyen of business, said a meeting of the family "has been summoned to deliberate on plan for a befitting burial of the patriarch of the family."

Reliable sources said beyond whatever the family is planning, "this will no doubt involve the state and federal government given that he is a statesman coupled with his involvement in business and political leadership."

Late Sony Odogwu grew up in his home town Asaba where he had his early education. He was an alumnus of Church Missionary Grammar School (CMS) Lagos and Ilesha where he had his secondary school education. He started work as an Insurance trainee at the age of 17 with his employment in Norwich Insurance company, Lagos. He worked with them for two years before he resigned to start his own company, Dyson and Dyket Insurance Brokers. He extended his activity into Commodity brokerage services.

He later moved to London to advance his education and obtained degrees in Insurance studies and business management from City University and London Chartered Institute of Insurance respectively.

He worked with Pearle insurance company, London C.T. Bowring and Company limited (Brokers at Lloyds) and finally with Swiss General Insurance company Ltd. He left the Brokerage side of the insurance business and rose fast to become an underwriting member at Lloyds of London, the largest and most formidable insurance underwriting organization in the world.

Chief Sony Odogwu is the Chairman of SIO group of companies. The Group has extensive holdings and operations in insurance, Shipping, Real Estate, Banking, Oil and Gas, Commodities, Publishing, Tourism and Transportation. It also has its tentacles in marketing of upend exotic automobiles.

SIO properties, is regarded as one of the largest property and real estate developing companies in Africa, owning extensive developments from South Africa, to Zimbabwe, to Kenya, to Ghana and Nigeria.

He was one of the pillars of Insurance business in Nigeria and well known industrialist and entrepreneur and and Icon of Investment diversification in Nigeria and beyond.

He was listed as one of the first African based Investors to purchase and develop “sky scrapper” properties at New York’s Times Square on Manhattan.

He is a recipient of several local and international recognitions, awards, and honorary degrees from universities, associations and multilateral agencies including but not limited to the World Bank Group, the IMF, the Zik Leadership Awards, LLD (Honoris Causa) Lincoln University Pennsylvania USA etc.

Chief Odogwu may be better known internationally for his work in the field of philanthropy. His US based non-governmental organization; “Africa NGO” supports more than 260 programmers in 27 African countries. In addition about 35 nations on the African continent have benefited from direct “Africa” assistance solely sponsored by Chief Odogwu. He has equally demonstrated his large heart in Nigeria by creating and supporting an educational endowment fund for the education of the under privileged students in secondary schools. No fewer than 4500 have benefitted from this scheme.

Chief Odogwu was a family man, an astute political leader, a businessman, a community organizer and committed supporter of the struggles of Anioma nation.

Admin/GEE

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Dell EMC unveils VMware friendly hybrid cloud - ITREALMS

Acclaimed number-one provider of cloud infrastructure, Dell EMC, has unveiled its key portfolio enhancements and integrations with VMware designed to help customers further automate operations of their modern data center and hybrid cloud environments, reports ITREALMS.

These new capabilities, ITREALMS gathered, allow businesses to accelerate innovation, simplify operations and speed overall IT Transformation initiatives.

The increasing amount of data being driven by both traditional and modern application workloads is pushing greater demand for automation and bandwidth both inside and outside the data center. Through collaboration and joint engineering, Dell EMC and VMware are enabling organisations to derive more value from their IT investments.

“Organisations that digitally transform with a software-defined and cloud-ready modern data center infrastructure are able to execute a powerful hybrid cloud strategy that provides optimal control, simplicity and cost tolerance to match their own unique preferences,” said Jeff Clarke, vice chairman, Products & Operations, Dell Inc. “Working together, Dell EMC and VMware continue to enhance VxRail and VxBlockSystem 1000, to automate the operations of integrated cloud platforms, so our customers can use them to maximise what’s possible with their data – resulting in better processes, innovative outcomes and operating efficiencies.”

“Dell EMC’s VxRail HCI and VxBlock CI engineered systems are among the most simple and powerful means for customers to modernise IT and rapidly scale their VMware environments to support a hybrid cloud operating model,” said Rajiv Ramaswami, Chief Operating Officer, Products and Cloud Services, VMware. “Both VMware and Dell EMC are making cloud adoption even easier for customers by introducing VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail and VMware vRealize Suite integration with VxBlock – both integrated cloud platforms that automate deployment and simplify hybrid cloud operations.”

Organisations globally are choosing highly automated, scale-out VxRail HCI appliances, powered by VMware vSAN to support their digital transformation objectives and need to scale operations rapidly and efficiently. Applications and data are increasingly distributed across edge locations, core data centers, and hybrid cloud environments. Customers turn to Dell Technologies as a trusted partner to provide a seamless, simplified experience through a jointly engineered digital foundation between Dell EMC VxRail and VMware. Through this collaboration and co-engineering, VxRail is becoming even simpler to adopt, deploy and manage.

Enterprises worldwide modernise their data centers and run their VMware-based clouds using Dell EMC VxBlock Systems – turnkey CI systems that bring together compute, storage, networking and VMware vSphere virtualization. Continuing this long history of CI innovation, demonstrated with the introduction of the VxBlock System 1000, new Dell EMC VxBlock Central software provides converged awareness, automation and analytics to simplify daily CI administration. VxBlock Central includes a single unified user interface for accessing VxBlock System information in real time. It includes an integrated launch point to VMware vRealize Orchestrator for automating daily operational tasks and a launch point to vRealize Operations to provide detailed analytics and an easy way to manage VxBlock storage capacity.

Integration between VxBlock Central and VMware vRealize Suite provides a strong foundation for Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and a simplified path to implementing a private/hybrid cloud operations model on VxBlock Systems. VxBlock Central’s CI-aware integration with vRealize Operations and vRealize Orchestrator software, provides greater visibility into CI system status and time-saving orchestration workflows. It also allows enterprises to leverage an additional layer of vRealize software tools, including vRealize Automation, to enable full cloud service delivery and management. Using the vRealize Suite on VxBlock opens the path for enterprises to achieve a consistent experience across other Dell EMC cloud platforms including VxRack SDDC and VxRail Appliances.

As Enterprises and service providers modernise operations for virtualization, cloud computing, Big Data and the Internet of Things (IoT) there is increasing importance on, and expectations for the performance of, traffic within the data center and out to public clouds.

Dell EMC’s latest line-up of 25GbE-enabled S5200-ON top-of-rack open networking switches help customers take advantage of the 25GbE connectivity that is necessary to meet growing in-rack and storage network traffic demands from these new technologies. The S5200 family also helps form high-performance 100GbE data center fabrics for traffic between racks and provide a robust network underlay for VMware NSX network virtualization and software-defined storage implementations. The S5200-ON also features enhanced buffering, higher forwarding tables and data plane support for VxLAN routing.

The Dell EMC Cloud Marketplace integrates the power of the Dell Technologies family to offer customers a choice of cloud platforms, enhanced cloud-enabled infrastructure capabilities, as well as consulting and technology services, and consumption models in a centralisedportal. When it comes to implementing a cloud platform, Dell EMC offers multiple options to align with customers’ unique competencies and goals.

Cloud Building Blocks allow customers to design and build a custom cloud platform using best-of-breed cloud-enabled infrastructure such as Dell EMC Unity and Dell EMC vSAN Ready Nodes, providing flexibility as well as investment protection. Dell EMC Unity is the first NFS-based external storage array family to be validated with VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), and Dell EMC vSAN Ready Nodes are validated by VMware to run VCF on the new PowerEdge MX modular infrastructure. Reference Architecture cloud platform implementation options are designed to reduce project risk and speed delivery by providing a choice of certified components and configuration guidance. Integrated Cloud Platforms, such as VxRail and VxBlock, are pre-engineered, so customers can be up and running quickly while delivering the most streamlined operational experience with simplified and automated lifecycle management.

Dell EMC Cloud Marketplace features a continuously expanding set of options to help customers build their hybrid cloud platforms. Data Center Utility is a newly available Cloud Consumption solution providing organisations the control of private cloud with the benefits of public cloud consumption including elastic capacity, metered usage and an OpEx model. Data Center Utility is a custom metered usage solution that provides maximum flexibility for resource consumption – with or without professional services.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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Nigeria suffering from mind-boggling mismanagement says PMB - ITREALMS


The President, Muhammadu Buhari has declared that Nigeria is suffering from mind-boggling mismanagement, reports ITREALMS.

"We are trying to organize the country. The extent of mismanagement we met when we came was mind-boggling," he said.

Receiving a group from the South-east part of the county under the aegis of One on One Nigeria, Tuesday night, the President added:

"Many times, I have spoken about the tremendous resources available to us between 1999 and 2014, and how it was frittered. If only they had used just 25% of it on infrastructure; road, rail, power, Nigerians would mind their own businesses, and not bother about whoever was in power. The casualty figure on our roads daily is simply scandalous. No wonder they are in opposition now, despite all the power they thought they had."

The group, led by Chief Chido Obidiegwu, said it had keenly observed the strides of the Buhari administration nationwide, particularly in the South-east, "and it is now payback time."

According to Obidiegwu, "We have seen the work being done on the long-abandoned Second Niger Bridge, roads are being constructed in many parts of the region, and we believe there is every reason to support you for a second term."

Describing President Buhari as the "grandfather of war against indiscipline and corruption, nightmare of insurgents, Mr Food Security, consolation to pensioners, and Mr Frugality," the group said it was going to mobilize South-easterners to massively vote for him, believing that one good turn would then deserve another in 2023.

The One on One Nigeria promised to mobilize youth groups, women, artisans, traders, religious groups to massively vote for President Buhari, adding that it had all it takes – “courage, drive, verve and vitality."


Seven men and two women represented One on One Nigeria during the visit.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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