APA candidate accuses Ajimobi of paralyzing Oyo tourism - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Oyo State Governorship Candidate of the African Peoples Alliance (APA), Deacon Tolulope Adedoyin,  has indicted the outgoing governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi of turning the Oyo State Cultural Centre which is also the arts house of the people in the state to beer joint and sex spot, reports ITREALMS.

This was contained in a press statement issued and signed by the governorship candidate of the African Peoples Alliance Party, Deacon Tolulope Adedoyin, after the party’s brief meeting at their party secretariat in Ibadan yesterday.

According to APA governorship candidate, “A cultural center is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Not the one that encourages selling of beers and an avenue for prostitutes to meet and market their bodies. It should be made available to arts veterans and associations like GOND, ANTP, TAMPAN, NANTAP, SNA, ANA to mention but few of them who have been denied access innumerable times for rehearsals and meetings related to arts programmes. Cultural Centre should be where arts works are sold and crafted not where prostitutes and drunkards fellowships”

Adedoyin however promised to give full attention to the following tourists’ attraction sites after he has been elected governor of the state. The sites are Ado-Awaye Suspended Lake, Ido Cenotaph, Iya-nla Hill at Tede- Atisbo LGA, Oke-Ogun National Park, Bowers Tower, Cultural Centre to mention but few.

Ayo Midele/GEE

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Isabel dos Santos: Economic empowerment of African women - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS:

At a United Nations debate in New York, Isabel dos Santos, who is currently the richest woman in Africa, spoke of the economic empowerment of African women as a key to transforming society. This and many of her other hopeful and encouraging messages have inspired many citizens in African countries, mainly young women, to pursue their ambitions in business.

Dos Santos believes that some of the most promising and successful businesspeople in the world have been African because of the continent’s entrepreneurial spirit. This spirit, however, has been weighed down by the stigmatization of women in the workplace. This has robbed the economy of valuable innovators and has barred women from achieving their ambitions. But by ensuring that young women can access the same education, job opportunities, and potential for growth as men, dos Santos believes that she can change this attitude and instill a national confidence in women.

This type of thinking falls in line with her more general philosophy of reform: “First the seed, then the future.” This dictum seems to urge against immediate change and, instead, encourages slow and steady growth. The seeds that Isabel dos Santos thinks ought to be planted are also tied up in the economic freedom of women – by creating jobs, providing training, and breaking sexist stigmas, she believes that women can experience increased financial stability while giving their home countries more influence in the international economy.

Dos Santos’ Vision of an Entrepreneurial Africa

Isabel Dos Santos (https://bit.ly/2POZHGd) has spent a lot of time planting these seeds in Africa, focusing her efforts in her home country of Angola where she meets with young people and speaks with them about the power of entrepreneurship. Sometimes, she visits them in small, personable rooms at universities and other institutions, other times in much larger ones during her speeches and debates. Most tellingly, she refers to famous African entrepreneurs as a “great family” and invites everyone with the motivation to work hard and come join them.

She often encourages young women to leverage the world’s increased reliance on technology and artificial intelligence, which she refers to as “digitalization”. She believes working toward innovations in technology is key to increasing Africa’s presence in the international economy while flooding the continent with unique employment opportunities. With just a computer and internet connection, unemployed or underpaid citizens can find more work, sometimes with the higher wages that are more commonplace in developed countries, to support their families and stimulate their local economies.

During a conversation with students at the University of Warwick interested in developing Africa, dos Santos tells a young woman who is eager to accomplish her ambitions “now” that she has to be patient and have not just a goal but a string of subgoals to reach it. She goes on to encourages the student to involve herself as deeply as she can in the decision processes that influence that goal, and also to understand that sometimes it’s important to just focus on school, other times on a career or starting a business. This type of advice for strategic hesitance can be found in many of her speeches.

Isabel dos Santos is the daughter of Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Angola’s long-time former president. Much of her wealth came from her investments and her previous position as the chairwoman of an oil company owned by the state called Sonangol. Dos Santos considers herself an independent businesswoman (https://bit.ly/2rLNGrp) and investor and has become Africa’s first females billionaire. Forbes ranks her as the 9thwealthiest billionaire in Africa for 2018.

A Beacon of Hope in a Male-Dominated Market

For young businesswomen in various African countries, her success story has been a beacon of hope. But dos Santos has told various reporters that her rise to riches was marred by the sexism she had to endure in a male-dominated African business world. She has no shortage of stories concerning prejudice and discrimination based on her gender, such as during business meetings where the people she’s negotiating with would look to her male assistant, advisor, or lawyer for validation though she already stated her offer. She is also frequently asked what business her husband is in when her wealth is made clear.

Despite her tribulations in the business world (https://on.ft.com/2EvASNr), Isabel dos Santos has maintained a charitable and hopeful perspective on life and takes on many projects geared toward improving small communities and local economies. One of these projects was in Humpata, in the province of Huila, where dos Santos helped establish a strawberry field, “planting the seed” to empower citizens. This project gave 120 women a place to work and a new income. On her website, dos Santos says:

“Creating opportunities and employment for women means betting on the progress of the communities themselves. When they thrive, women invest their income in the family, health, and education. I value this as a sense of duty, commitment, and dedication. The impact that women create around them is powerful and transformative.”

She calls on other African entrepreneurs to give back to their countries by investing in similar projects. Though they seem small-scale, she believes that with enough support, this type of philanthropic work can create a value chain large enough to impact the national economy. As a result, smaller communities will have more prosperous citizens and influence. Should those new entrepreneurs be African women, then dos Santos hopes that their success will help chip away at the stigma that women are less competent than men.

This is all part of one of Isabel dos Santos’ larger goals to increase the prosperity of African countries as a whole. She plans to accomplish this by working from the ground up, focusing on the individual, such as the promising young men and woman of various African countries. By empowering them, she is, in turn, empowering their communities. This creates value within towns that have historically not had the chance to prosper, and by strengthening local economies, the national economy itself is bolstered.

“This is the true transformation of a country,” she says. It starts with a little hope and promise, with planting the “seeds”, and then, through the hard work of a community’s individuals, a brighter future can be earned.”



*Contributed by Haley Thompson




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Civil society groups endorse Sanwo-Olu for 2019 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Some civil society groups in Lagos State have endorsed the gubernatorial aspiration of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for the 2019 governorship election in the centre of excellence, reports ITREALMS.

Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Humanity Services Project (HSP), Centre for 21st Century Issues (C2CI), United Action for Democracy (UAD) and Free Bond Labour Services (FBLS) were amongst the seventy (70) groups that gave their commitment to support Sanwo-Olu for victory in the coming election.

The groups said their decision to endorse the APC candidate was premised on the outcome of the integrity test conducted on all the gubernatorial candidates in the State, in which Sanwo-Olu trounced other contenders in all the parameters used by the organisations.

The leader of the groups, Comrade Rasaq Olokoba, speaking at an interactive session with Sanwo-Olu on Thursday, stated that the candidate symbolized the progressive thinking and yearnings of the generality of the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Lagos State. He added that Lagos State was clearly on another journey of social justice, welfarism and good governance.

"There is a resolve that Lagos State will never fall in the hands of reactionary leaders. What we have witnessed is successive progressive government in this State. So we are very delighted that a great leader like Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is the candidate of the APC. We know his contributions to progressive movement and the less privileged of the society, who are the major interests of all of us here. We want a government that will listen to and answer the cries of the people with little or no voice in the society.

"So we are very convinced that Sanwo-Olu is the answer. He has overwhelmingly surpassed other candidates in our integrity test. That's the reason we are openly endorsing him and giving our commitment to his victory in the coming election. Lagos State is certainly on another glorious journey of welfarism and good governance, " Olokoba said.

On her part, the Director, Centre for 21st Century Issues, Ms. Titilope Akosa, said it was important for Lagos State to continue to lead on all development fronts, adding that he was certain Sanwo-Olu was up to the task of taking Lagos to greater heights.

She, therefore, added that the candidate should work towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and renewing the government's engagement with the civil society community if elected.

"Lagos state must take leadership on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the state must renew its partnership with the civil society community to help speedy achievement of many of its goals. So we humbly ask that, when you are elected, you will prioritise these areas which include improvement of the education system in the State and the empowerment of our women.

"The gender equality and opportunity bill has been lying idle all this while. We do hope that when you are elected you will help to give the necessary support and boost for this progressive proposal. Lagos State must continue to show an outlook of a 21st century state in all forms. A state that will give adequate support to the women, children and the needy in the society. We believe in you and we hope that you will perform beyond expectation", she said.

The governorship candidate, while acknowledging the presence and support of the various organisations, stated that the civil society groups were important stakeholders.

He said they were the eyes and ears of the vulnerable people in the society, adding that they were also the watchdog consistently putting government on its toes to perform optimally.

"I want to assure you that you've found a partner in me. I value your role in building a better society. That's why we are committed to opening access to government to achieve our dream of greater Lagos.

"I commend you all because not many people have the strength to get on this noble but demanding path you have chosen. With this partnership, I'm absolutely certain that we will reach the Lagos of our dreams sooner than envisaged", he said.

Ayo Midele/GEE

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Exclusive: VAS operators may be decommissioned over fraud – ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Telecommunications regulator in the country, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is tinkering on decommissioning some Value Added Service (VAS) Providers in the country, reports ITREALMS.

This follows the recent NCC investigations which showed that most of the VAS providers are conniving with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to defraud unsuspecting telecom consumers.

ITREALMS investigations revealed that VAS Operators in the country cut across Value Added Services (VAS) include Call Centre services (CCS), Call Directory Services (CDS), Content Services Using Shortcodes (SNC), Prepaid Calling Services (PPC) and Special Number Services (SNS), with membership largely drawn from the Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).

NCC in a official communications available to ITREALMS of intention to sanction some of the VAS operators depending on the magnitude of their involvement which is under review at Maitama-Abuja office of the regulator.

ITREALMS gathered that the sanctions could be suspension or outright decommission in the overall interests of telecom consumers.

“We wish to use this opportunity to inform the general public that the Commission may suspend or outrightly decommission some VAS platforms and services in the overall interests of consumers.

“We assure consumers that these measures will be implemented with minimal inconvenience to them, and trust that we can count on the understanding of consumers who may be affected by these measures,” official statement from NCC said in part.

Further, the Commission assured all stakeholders of continuous use of all available resources to protect the rights of consumers of telecoms services and to ensure that they get appropriate value for their interactions with service and platform providers.

Currently, ITREALMS confirms that Nigeria has some 368 VAS operators as at the time of filing this report.

These, ITREALMS also gathered comprised of Call Centre Services (CCS) - 16; Call Directory Services (CDS) -6; Content Services Using Shortcodes (SNC) - 336; Prepaid Calling Services (PPC) - 1; and Special Number Services (SNS) - 9.

Remmy Nweke/ ED, Ops

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Africa eCommerce 2018: Harnessing digital potentials deserve CSO collaboration - ITREALMS

Features@ITREALMS: 

The first-ever Africa eComemerce recently ended in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, REMMY NWEKE who was there reports that in harnessing digital potentials of the continent deserves collaboration of the civil societies.

Preamble:

The week-long Africa eCommerce 2018 literally commenced on Sunday, December 9th with arrival of delegates from various parts of the world including Africa, although the main event began on Monday December 10 at the conference room 2 of the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya, thus setting the capital city agog.

Organised by the United Nations body responsible for helping leverage on trades, the Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) , offered an opportunity for the African Civil Society on the Information Society (ACSIS) to showcase itself, activities and participate actively,

With the theme on “Empowering African Economies in the Digital Era,” Africa eCommerce Week is a response to the growing demand for e-commerce dialogues, as the digital and mobile revolution continues to gain space in the digital economy.

Welcoming delegates to the first-ever Africa eCommerce, UNCTAD Secretary-General, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, described the event as tremendous opportunity into inclusive development which requires massive effort on the part of all in Africa and beyond, asserting that the world is at critical juncture which is why UNCTAD decided to have a meeting in Africa, for Africa and by Africa, focused on harnessing the potential of digitalization and the mobile revolution.

“It comes at an opportune moment, given that the international community, regional organizations, and individual countries are exploring ways to advance development gains from the digital economy and thereby help achieve the ambition of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” he said.

Kituyi also noted that the landmark African Continental Free Trade Agreement, signed earlier in March this year, is expected to have a positive impact on intra-African trade. Pointing out that as trade increasingly moves online, there is a growing need to discuss the implications of e-commerce for African economies.

Already, in 2017, Africa had 21 million online shoppers – showing the enormous potential of the African e-commerce marketplace.

Adoption, a task for African leaders: 

Equally, Kituyi said that time is running out for African Union (AU) to do catch-up on electronic commerce (eCommerce), tasking African leaders to adopt eCommerce for the interest of the continent.
Opening his remarks at the business and civil society session at the Africa eCommerce Week in Nairobi, Kituyi said this has become imperative for a sense of urgency, decrying that Africa was being left out of the discourse on e-commerce that had already taken place elsewhere.

He also said, “That’s why this meeting is important,” just as Rapid eTrade Readiness Assessments were unique products that had been much in demand by African governments.

“Faced with current global trade challenges, many countries are moving forward with e-commerce strategies, but it is important that governments include all stakeholders,” he said.

UNCTAD’s Rapid eTrade Readiness Assessments focus on practical steps that national governments, with the support of donor agencies, development banks and international organizations, can take to boost online trade.

The assessments, he said, showed that vast reforms are needed to seize the development opportunities offered by e-commerce. But they also help African countries to identify opportunities, barriers and relevant policy measures required to improve their readiness to engage in and benefit from e-commerce.

The Africa eCommerce Week, which commenced on Monday would last till Friday, December 15, 2018 by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at GSMA, Akinwale Goodluck, offered some insights into what GSMA is doing to improve connectivity for seamless eCommerce connectivity, especially in Africa. He lamented the unprecedented multiple taxation on telecommunications infrastructure and called on AU and member states to desist from actions capable of setting the development of the continent backwards, through uncivilized policies and regulations especially with political tendencies.

Erring tech giants must be sanctioned - ACSIS:

For ACSIS President, Dr. Cisse Kane in his remarks during the opening of business and civil society forum session penultimate Monday at the week-long Africa eCommerce Week in Nairobi, Kenya, Dr. Kane lamented that despite violation by some technology giants lately, without any reactions from any African leaders or governments.

Dr Cisse Kane, ACSIS Pesident

He called on African leaders to leverage technology by ensuring that erring industry giants on the continent are sanctioned as obtainable in other parts of the world.

Technology laws as it pertain to consumers, for instance, is not much difference when it comes to Africa, so he does not get it when African consumers are exploited by international technology companies like Facebook, and Google, without any representation from the continent’s leaders, underscoring the fact that those largely affected by this lack of concern are the youth and women.

Sanctions realized from these international technology firms will help in supporting youth innovation in Africa via investment on startups.

… Collaboration is key among CSOs:

At the two-hour session on Masterclass on consumers protection and role of civil society, where Vice President , ACSIS who doubles as | Lead Strategist, DigitalSENSE Africa Media stood in for ACSIS president at the panel in room3, with the likes of Economic Affairs Officer, UNCTAD, Martine Julsaint Kidane; Head, Competition and Consumer Policies Branch, UNCTAD, Teresa Moreira; Secretary-General, Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS International), Pradeep S. Mehta and CEO, Suku Technologies Ltd (eDuBoost), Tsonam Akpeloo on the panel, despite the short notice.

Nweke went a step further in his presentation queried the inability of African leaders to sanction any international technology companies as if there were no data infractions on the continent just as he reminded participants that ACSIS in stepping out from the norm, this year organized a mobile app competition with top finalists from 10 countries in Africa, and top three will be presented to participants on Friday, 14, December 2018, thereby extended invitation to all to grace the occasion at Room 2.

He also advocated for more collaboration among civil societies on the continent and imploring those yet to join ACSIS to leverage the website for more information even as he was available for interactions.

Nweke, we began his presentation with the genesis of ACSIS birth in Geneva and delivered in Tunisia during the two-phased World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), applauding the Senegalese government among others for their support, moreso on the app competition for sponsorship of participants.

Largely, the “Master Class on Consumer Protection” provided the opportunity for civil society organizations to discuss with UNCTAD experts the main consumer protection challenges emerging in Africa’s digital economy landscape.

There was also session on Civil Society Hive Talks for Africa, where burning issues of consumer protection were raised at Room 14 on Thursday with UNCTAD encouraging more participation of civil society groups, while VP Nweke’s intervention was mainly on the emerging CSO leveraging ACSIS to grow, with the believe we are stronger together.

E-commerce in Africa and women empowerment:

This session saw the Regional Coordinator for ACSIS in North Africa, Aicha Jerdi sharing more with respective to ACSIS support for women and revealed that she has the mandate of ACSIS President to organize the second phase of the mobile application competition, exclusively for women in 2019 and used the opportunity to seek support from other parties and donors.

Whilst in attendance, ACSIS Vice President, Remmy Nweke, urged participants and parents particularly to ensure that they give equal footing to their children despite of any gender, pointing out that though there a cultural inhibitions on acceptance and propelling of women empowerment, he stressed that when family do their bit in encouraging women, even young boys will have respect for their sisters amongst women in general, insisting that charity begins at home.

Remmy Nweke, Vice President, ACSIS

This session spoke to the fact that women have unequal access to economic opportunities, thus as digital technologies dramatically reshape economies; gender divide has been grown wider. Hence, digital technologies have become a powerful force for social and economic development, delivering substantial benefits for both individuals and society.

Conclusion:

The Africa eCommerce 2018 was a rich event worthy of participation by ACSIS, despite its internal shortcomings, above all, more better structured panels for the CSOs must be put in place in addition to closing ranks among the CSOs across the connect.

In continuation of this agenda, it may be vital to sustain this event, at least for the next year before tinkering of moving it away from Kenya or even to other parts of the continent and considering that its not primarily an African originated event, AU may liaise with the likes of ACSIS for an African alternative.

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Smile cries foul over pre-disconnection notice – ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Smile Telecommunications Limited has cried out over pre-disconnection notice allegedly published by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and ATC over indebtedness on co-location facilities across the country, reports ITREALMS.

In a mail sent to customers and endorsed by its Managing Director, Godfrey Efeurhobo, Smile Telecoms, demanded for a rebuttal from the NCC and ATC with respect to the erroneous publication.

ITREALMS recalled that NCC has on Tuesday, December 18, 2018, published in The Guardian “Pre-Disconnection Notice.”

According to him, the notice relates to industry wide indebtedness affecting different operators in the normal cause of business.

“Smile Communications has made significant payment to reduce its indebtedness to IHS and is currently in talks with IHS on a payment plan to completely settle the outstanding amount within the shortest period,” he said.

Efeurhobo also assured customers that Smile Communications services will not be disrupted or disconnected.

“Employees are advised to disregard speculations around the publication and go about their normal daily tasks,” he insisted.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Yuletide 2018: Ikeja Electric promises stable supply - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Ikeja Electric (IE) has promised a stable supply during this year's yuletide, just as it commenced the expansion of network patrol teams and field operations preemptive maintenance across its network, reports ITREALMS.

Head, Corporate Communications of IE, Felix Ofulue, said the move would see various installations undergo preemptive maintenance work, and increase in number of patrol teams to ensure swift repair of faults, stressing that the company was aware customers need stable supply of power to enjoy Christmas and New Year celebrations.

"The company is not unaware of expectations of customers to enjoy regular and stable power supply during the yuletide, so, a lot of measures have been put in place to ensure that customers’ hopes are not dashed. We have started replacing faulty cables and equipment to ensure easy evacuation of power as received from the National Grid (NG)” he said.

Ofulue also said that their Fault Clearing Teams in all Business Units have been reinforced and enhanced to meet the demands which expectedly will increase this period because of the pressure that our facilities will be subjected to.

"We are mindful that during holidays, customers in festive mood will need more supply and this load on our aging infrastructure may cause some faults and trips. Our teams are ready to ensure they are rectified in the shortest possible time” he said.

Ofulue advised customers not to resort to using those road side electricians to clear fault in their areas, adding that such people usually compounded the problem on the network.

Similarly, he informed that the metering program IE is still ongoing, urging patience from customers as the metering exercise was moving according to schedule, while indicating that some locations like Egbeda, Ifako, Oworonshoki, Ajao, Ojodu, Magodo and Abule Odu among others already enjoyed a metering density of over 50 percent.

"However, he appealed to customers within its network to settle their monthly electricity bills promptly as this provided the company the much needed resources to expand and maintain its technical/metering initiative timetables.

"The IE official cautioned against harassment of its employees on duty, noting that IE had provided multiple channels and customer care touch points through which customers may seek redress. He confirmed that customer service had expanded its teams to over 200 well trained personnel dedicated to handling customer complaints, arguably the largest in the industry, who can be reached on 01-448-3900, 01-7000-250, 0700-022-5543.

"In a related development, the recently released i-Safe App from Ikeja Electric, has been received with applause by industry watchers, as the IE relentlessly expands on its safety initiatives. The app, which allows customers to send in images and video clips of hazards in the network was recently launched on Google Play Store and is available for free downloads. The i-Safe app launch which was quickly followed by the maiden graduation ceremony of IE’s Quality Health and Safety Academy is indicative of IE’s resolve to ensure mishaps are mitigated during the yuletide.

"On behalf of the management and staff of Ikeja Electric,I wish all customers a happy holiday" he said.

Ayo Midele/GEE

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Sanction looms: NCC uncovers multiple illegal deductions by mobile operators - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has uncovered large volume of forceful and illegal deductions by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in the country, insisting that consumers must be refunded, reports ITREALMS.

NCC, in a public statement sighted by ITREALMS, the Commission noted that as a consumer-centric regulator, its dismayed by this act by MNOs with great displeasure.

The Commission said this is unacceptably high level of consumer complaints in respect of forceful subscriptions to Value-Added Services (VAS), as well as airtime deductions for these subscriptions.

ITREALMS gathered that NCC mandated several initiatives to tackle the menace, stressing these included the institution of a comprehensive investigation and resolution process, the Do-not-Disturb (DND) facility, and the imposition of sanctions for breach.

Additionally, NCC said, disturbed by the persistent occurrence of the menace despite these measures, it had carried out a long and comprehensive investigative audit into VAS subscriptions across all MNO and VAS platforms.

The investigative audit was led by the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Department of the Commission, with participation from its other Departments such as the Technical Standards and Network Integrity (TSNI), Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB), Legal & Regulatory Services (LRS), and Licensing & Authorisation (L&A).

The Audit Team analyzed subscribers’ Call Detail Records from MNOs and subscription logs from VAS providers over a period of two years, leading to the conclusion that a huge percentage of VAS services were not voluntarily subscribed for. The audit team also found that some providers had implemented disingenuous mechanisms by which large numbers of innocent consumers were “forcefully” subscribed to VAS platforms, leading to regular deduction of their airtime without their consent.

As all Stakeholders are aware, the Commission has persistently insisted that actions of this sort are unacceptable as they are in direct breach of the Nigerian Communications Act and NCC’s many regulatory instruments on the matter. Such actions also undermine the very foundations of the customer/service provider relationship, that is, transparency and trust.

Based on the outcome of the investigative audit, the Commission will shortly be directing the indicted organisations to make refunds to affected consumers as appropriate. The Commission is also considering, and will impose appropriate sanctions as necessary. This outcome justifies the Commission’s commitment to evidence-based interventions.

We wish to use this opportunity to inform the general public that the Commission may suspend or outrightly decommission some VAS platforms and services in the overall interests of consumers. We assure consumers that these measures will be implemented with minimal inconvenience to them, and trust that we can count on the understanding of consumers who may be affected by these measures.

The Commission assures all Stakeholders that we will continue to use all available resources to protect the rights of consumers of telecoms services and to ensure that they get appropriate value for their interactions with service and platform providers.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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VP Debate: Obi insists on accuracy of data - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Peter Obi has insisted that the statistical data he reeled out during the Saturday December 15 Vice Presidential debate were accurate, as he obtained them from competent sources, reports ITREALMS.

Obi, ITREALMS gathered, was greeted with outright criticism from some Nigerians, who claimed that most of the statistical data he reeled out during the debate were not correct and overblown in most cases.

His media aide, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, in a press statement made available to ITREALMS urged Nigerians to disregard those going about debunking, as incorrect, the data used by the former Governor of Anambra State to support his points during the 2018 Vice Presidential debate. Obienyem said that engaging in what he called “statistical fallacy” was a mark of persons without honour and insisted that Obi did not do so during the debate as, “the sources of all the facts and statistics he put forward could easily be verified.”

Obienyem itemised all the points that Obi made during the debate and gave the source of Obi’s data, which he challenged those doubting their authenticity to verify.

In part the statement read:

“During the debate, Obi said that Nigeria used over 50% of her revenue to service debt. This can be verified from DMO’s 2017 reports on Nigeria’s debt stock and total debt service. Obi said the country’s total debt stock was N22.7 trillion, about USD80 billion. This can be verified from DMO’s June 2018 report on Nigeria’s debt stock. Obi said that Mexico’s GDP was over USD1 trillion and its GDP per capita was over USD8,000 This can be verified from World Bank report on: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD?locations=MX&view=chart). Obi said that South Africa’s stock market capitalization was USD900 billion. This can be verified from Stock Market Clock (https://www.stockmarketclock.com/exchanges/jse). Obi said that Nigerian bank loans is made up of 15% of GDP. This can be verified from the World Bank (source: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/FD.AST.PRVT.GD.ZS?locations=NG&view=chart). Obi said that Nigeria had the highest number of the Poor at 87 million – growing by six persons per minute.



This can be verified from Brookings Institute publication, ‘The start of a new poverty narrative” published by Homi Kharas, Kristofer Hamel, and Martin Hofer on Tuesday, June 19, 2018 (source: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2018/06/19/the-start-of-a-new-poverty-narrative/). Obi said that Nigeria’s Human Development Index (HDI) ranking moved from 152 – 157. This can be verified from http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/2018_human_development_statistical_update.pdf ). Obi said that the Misery Index in Nigeria worsened. This can be verified from https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/hankes-annual-misery-index-worlds-saddest-happiest-countries). Obi said that the FG budgeted N340 billion on health and paid over N1 trillion on PMS subsidy. Education budget was about N400 billion. This can be verified from https://punchng.com/subsidy-on-petrol-hits-n1-4tn-per-year-says-fg/. Obi said that the ease of doing business ranking was currently at 146. This can be verified from http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/doingBusiness/media/Annual-Reports/English/DB2019-report_web-version.pdf).Obi said that China created 7.2 million jobs within first 6 months in 2018. This can be verified fromhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201809/17/WS5b9f2aeda31033b4f46566bb.html).






Chuks Egbune with additional report from Vanguard/ED, Ops




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Swift, professionalism key to Konga’s rise to eCommerce – ITREALMS

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In addition to the unbeatable deals and price slashes it offered during its 2018 Black Friday sales tagged Konga Yakata, it has emerged that an amazingly swift and responsive delivery service is another factor that set e-commerce giants Konga apart before and after the month-long shopping fiesta and also responsible for its rise as Nigeria's biggest e-commerce outfit.

Konga Yakata, which ran from Thursday November 8th through Friday November 30th 2018 online @  Konga.com and offline in Konga stores nationwide, broke all sales projections as the company enjoyed huge hits and footfalls on its composite platforms.

Interestingly, a strong point which has made Konga stand out since its acquisition by the Zinox Group and merger with Yudala in May 2018 has been the ease with which it has solved the thorny issue of logistics/delivery which has remained a stumbling block for many players in the sector. Aligned to this is the highly professional and courteous disposition of its well-trained delivery and customer experience team - a factor that has made the company a firm favourite for millions of shoppers in Nigeria.

“Before Yakata, I had been impressed with Konga for the speed of delivery. All the items I bought up until that time never exceeded 48 hours before they were delivered by Kxpress,” stated Emmanuel Oki, a small business owner.

“During Yakata, Í was even more than impressed as I expected them to encounter some challenges with the increased volume of orders. Instead, I even enjoyed 24 hours and same-day delivery of most of the items I shopped. The delivery guys were also very professional,  respectful and smiling all through, even on occasions when I was not immediately around to receive my items and kept then waiting for a bit.”

According to Stella Dim, an engineer with an oil-servicing company,  Konga has won the hearts of many sceptical shoppers as a result of its integrity, quality-focused approach to e-commerce and professionalism.

“Nowhere is this professionalism better demonstrated than in the conduct of their customer-facing staff - the delivery guys, store attendants and customer service team. Every interaction only goes to reinforce this confidence in the company, especially for many disgruntled shoppers who have had nasty experiences from other companies.

“Confidence is very important in an industry such as e-commerce where some unscrupulous players even sell fake items or treat customers shabbily, “ she said.

Recently, a number of shoppers had taken to popular microblogging site, Twitter to send positive shout-outs to Konga, commending the company for its status as a guaranteed source of quality products, its responsive, professional service and swift delivery.

According to Michael Adjei, a social media enthusiast, the show of love further goes to justify how well the management of the new Konga has done in capturing the minds of a demanding populace.

“Nigerians are very smart, savvy and demanding shoppers who also recognize quality and can go out of their way or pay over the odds to get it. With the new Konga, we are beginning to see the rise of a truly quality-conscious and professional e-commerce outfit whose management not only understand the business but also care deeply about its customers and do their utmost to please them. We should be proud indeed,” he concluded.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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Accord Party decries selective presidential debates - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Presidential candidate of Accord Party, Reverend Isaac Babatunde Ositelu, has described as selective, undemocratic, bias, subjective and unabashedly discriminative the decision of the National Election Debate Group (NEDG) to handpick only five out of the 98 Presidential candidates in the 2019 Presidential election for the presidential debate, reports ITREALMS.

While calling out the organisers of the debate on the discriminative selection of presidential candidates for the debate, he said that all the candidates ought to have been given open access to the process of ventilating their plans to the electorate. He said that by denying the other candidates the opportunity to present their manifestoes to the Nigerian populace, the NEDG has unwittingly denied other candidates equal opportunity to compete fairly for votes in the coming electoral process.

He said that the Accord Party Presidential candidate ought to have been accorded a dignified recognition in the debate given that Accord Party with over eleven years of participation in the electoral processes in Nigeria has spread and membership bases across the 36 states and the Federal capital Territory (FCT). Besides, he said that the Accord Party had previously produced members of the National and State Assemblies and that if such success tractions were the consideration for rating, the Accord Party deserved better recognition by the NEDG. He noted as well that Accord Party is one of the very few parties that could boast of feeding candidates for states and national election in the 2019 general elections.

Ositelu called on the Presidential debate organisers to immediately correct the obvious bias against the interest of Accord Party and its Presidential candidate. He said that the right to debate in the electoral process should be an inalienable privilege for all the candidates. But that anything to the contrary would present NEDG as having established prejudices against the likes of Accord Party and would call to question the integrity of the debate organisers.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced that 91 political parties have scaled the hurdle to participate in the 2019 general elections. And in the continuation of the processes of proper voter education and enlightenment so that the electorates can make informed choices among the array of Presidential candidates, the NEDG has organised debates for the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates of parties in the 2019 general elections. He said that by given preference to only five political parties to participate in the debate, the organisers of the Presidential debate have demonstrated partiality.

According to him, the NEDG ought to have protected the interest of all the political parties by demonstrating neutrality in the access to the platform which offers the Nigeria electorates the opportunity to assess the different candidates and their political parties heading into the 2019 elections.

It would be recalled that Ositelu is one of the Presidential candidates that has now signed the national peace treaty for the 2019 general elections in Abuja. The National Peace Committee comprising of eminent Nigerians is headed by former Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar and Bishop Hassan Kukah among others. The National Peace Committee said that the peace treaty was meant to curb violence and use of hate speeches in the campaigns. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is expected to encourage all gladiators in the general elections to play by the rules, eschew violence and accept the results of the general elections in good faith while using constitutionally laid down instrument to seek redress.

Promising to lift the nation out of economic doldrums, Ositelu said that the immediate priority of his government would be to tackle food security, ensure uninterrupted power supply in the country through innovative use of motorised mini-grids. According to him, the mobile mini-grid can be easily deployed to areas of economic and industrial establishment as a stop gap process for building a robust discrete electricity networks across Nigeria.

He assured that the Accord Party controlled national government would also pay significant attention to the provision of road infrastructure, particularly to the rural communities. He said that the development of road infrastructure in the rural communities would hasten the engine of growth of prosperity for the Nigerian people.

Ayo Midele/GEE

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Africans seek collaboration between ISOC chapters - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Arising from the recently held African chapters session at the just concluded AFRINIC29 in Harmmamet, Tunisa, participants seek collaboration between Internet Society (ISOC) chapters across the continent, reports ITREALMS.

Chokri Ben Romdhane, a member of the local organizing committee, disclosed to ITREALMS that African Chapters members who participated in the AFRINIC29 public policy meeting in Hammamet, Tunisia, organized by the Tunisia ISOC Chapter, and discussed how to improve the collaboration between African chapters.

Part of the communique read:

“We consider that the collaboration between African Chapters is important for African chapters, and also for the achievement of the whole mission of Internet Society.

“We are aware of the difference in culture, policies, infrastructure between our countries and the difficulty to make in synergy all these factors.

“We believe that for the benefit of our region and community we should collaborate, and to do that we have established the following recommendations; Maintain an updated list of all the successful projects funded by Internet Society in the region; Define a list of topics based on the previous list of projects; and Create a group by topic and a call for memberships will be launched for all the chapters members.

Also, ITREALMS gathered that the groups should achieve feasible regional projects and facilitate funds seeking from ISOC and others foundations. Ideally, these projects should allow a replication of successful projects already implemented locally by another African chapter.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Improved security, upgraded infrastructure to boost Nigeria's tourism - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the present administration's efforts at improving security and upgrading infrastructure is a deliberate policy to promote tourism in Nigeria, reports ITREALMS.

The Minister, who stated this when he received the Secretary-General of the D-8, Mr. Dato’ Ku Jafafar Ku Shaari, on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja on Tuesday, noted that without the provision of security and critical infrastructure, tourism development will remain a mirage.

“Without peace and security, the best tourist attractions will be inaccessible to anybody. As a matter of fact, without peace and security and stability, travel advisories will actually discourage or even prohibit tourists from coming into those areas and the people don’t invest really in the areas where there is instability or insecurity. That is why the government has made it a cardinal principle to address the issue of insecurity in the country,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed said in spite of the recent setbacks in the fight against insurgency in the country, the government has succeeded in banishing Boko Haram to the fringes of Lake Chad, from where they carry out cowardly attacks.

He said before the advent of the Buhari Administration, a large chunk of Nigeria’s territory, including 20 out of the 27 Local Government Areas in Borno State, was under the effective control of Boko Haram.

The Minister also said before the Administration assumed office, Boko Haram could stroll into the Federal Capital Territory to carry out deadly attacks, but that the reverse is the case now.

“Today after three years, we have had no single incident of any insurgency in Abuja or its environs,'' he said.

Alhaji Mohammed said President Buhari has succeeded in mobilizing regional support to ensure the comprehensive defeat of Boko Haram in the Sahel Region.

On the provision of infrastructure, he said the Administration has invested N2.7 trillion in infrastructure within two years.

“Your Excellency, you cannot have tourism without infrastructure. There must be roads, airports, power. Without these things, you can’t even access the tourist attractions and it’s on record that this government has in the last two years - 2016-2017 - invested massively in infrastructure,” he said.

The Minister assured that Nigeria is poised to take advantage of its membership of the D-8 to advance its tourism sector.

In his remarks, the Secretary-General of D-8 said he and his team were in the ministry to secure the input of the government towards the development of a strategic vision on how member countries can share experiences and knowledge on tourism.

“The purpose of our visit today to the ministry is to learn from the government and the ministry in all the activities in respect of culture and tourism and where we can connect as an organisation,” he said.

He commended the Nigerian government for its efforts towards the development of tourism, especially the provision of security and critical infrastructure as well as the introduction of Visa On Arrival for tourists. 

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Confirmed! Ex-Defence chief, Alex Badeh shot dead @61 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has confirmed the death of a former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh, reports ITREALMS.

He should have been 62 years by January 10, 2019 and hails from Adamawa State.

According to the Director, Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, in a press statement available to ITREALMS late Tuesday, said the former chief was killed following injuries sustained from an attack on him.

Also, Daramola said Badeh was killed by injuries sustained from gunshot when his vehicle was attacked while returning from his farm along Abuja-Keffi Road.

“On behalf of officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, commiserates with the family of the late former Chief of Defence Staff over this irreparable loss. We pray that the Almighty God grants his soul eternal rest.”

However, some security experts are of the opinion the death of Alex Badeh, a former chief of defence must have been an assassination, because at his level, he should have some personal security aides, even in retirement.

They called on the Federal Government to unravel the assassins.

Alex Sabundu Badeh was a retired four star flag officer of the Nigerian Air force who served as the 18th Chief of Air Staff and the 15th Chief of Defence Staff of the armed forces of Nigeria. He was shot dead on Tuesday, 18 December, 2018. Wikipedia

Born on 10 January 1957, Badeh died at the age 61 years. Before his death, he served the Nigerian forces for 38 and is survived by two children, Tony Badeh, Kam Badeh.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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Atiku-Obi train goes to Aba for townhall meeting - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will on Wednesday, December 19, 2018, hold a Town Hall Meeting with the Aba Business Community at the Aba Sports Club by 12:Noon.

The Abia State Coordinator of the Atiku/Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, in a press statement available to ITREALMS, informed  that the essence of the Town Hall Meeting was for the Candidate to understand first-hand the challenges facing the business community in Aba.

Atiku Abubakar, he said, would be accompanied on the trip by his running mate, Mr. Peter Obi, National Chairman, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, Senate President and Campaign DG, Dr. Bukola Saraki and other National Directors of the Campaign Council.

The Town Hall, which will be interactive, will see businessmen in Aba sharing their challenges with the PDP Presidential Candidate and listening to his plans to improve their business environment should he emerge President of Nigeria.

The Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu will be the Chief Host while various Atiku Pro Groups and Political Organisations are expected to mobilise their members to the venue of the event.

It is common knowledge that since Governor Okezie Ikpeazu mounted the saddle as Governor of Abia State, Aba has taken its rightful place as the SME Capital of West Africa attracting unprecedented attention from Governments and Development Partners.

Ozo Nweke Ozo/GEE

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Lagos CP unveils new security measures to tackle petty thieves, robbers - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Imohimi Edgal, has expressed worry over complaints from some neighbourhoods in Lagos alleging increased activities of petty thieves and robbers who specialise in vandalising vehicles parked by roadsides at night, reports ITREALMS.

As said by the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State, CSP Chike Oti, to reverse the trend, the CP has in addition to his directives to Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers to carry out strings of operations in their areas of responsibilities, advised all communities in Lagos to adopt the following measures in order to improve security in their areas:

1. All streets/communities should as a matter of urgency appoint a Chief Security Officer (CSO) from their midst. This exercise is to be coordinated by the CDA of such area.

2. It will be the responsibility of the CSO to get the phone numbers of DPOs, operation officers and patrol and guard officers closest to them and distribute same widely to members of their community.

3. It will be the responsibility of the CSO to arrange for street guards who will keep watch at night and raise the alarm when necessary to frustrate night marauders.

4. It will be the responsibility of the CSO to reinvigorate and coordinate the already existing joint vigilante/police patrol at night between 12 midnight and 4am in conjunction with the DPO of that locality.

5. In areas where vigilance groups have not been formed in accordance with laid down legal/operational modalities earlier issued by the Commissioner of Police, it will be the responsibility of the CSO to immediately liase with his DPO to ensure that these vigilance groups are set up.

6. The CP has also observed that the two toll free lines, 767/112 are jammed due to call traffic. To reduce the strain on these lines, the CP has released the following 10 numbers domiciled at the Citizen Complaint Hot Centre (CCHC) for use by communities to alert law enforcement officers:

1. 08067945296

2. 08063025274

3. 08063104759

4. 08113615350

5. 08113683077

6. 08096283148

7.,08096283173

8. 08089781657

9. 08126404930

10. 08081426895

7. It will be the responsibility of the CSO to ensure that these lines are given widest publicity.

The CP wishes to reiterate that security is not only a joint endeavour but an expensive business. He therefore enjoins communities to pay their security dues to enable CSOs to put in place street guards to complement the effort of the police.

Finally, the Commissioner of Police assures Lagosians of security in the remaining part of the yuletide season and enjoins them to celebrate and enjoy moderately during the festive period.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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