Refusal to sign Digital Rights Bill: MRA berates Buhari - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Media Rights Agenda (MRA) today criticized the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill into Law, describing his reasons as illogical and evidence of his Administration’s unwillingness to uphold and protect the freedom of expression and other human rights of Nigerians in the online environment, reports ITREALMS.

In a statement in Lagos, MRA’s Legal Officer, Ms Morisola Alaba, said the reason given by the President for his refusal to assent to the Bill, which was transmitted to him for signature by the National Assembly on February 5, 2019, was not only illogical but betrayed the fact that he had no legitimate reason for withholding assent.

President Buhari had stated that the Bill “covers too many technical subjects and fails to address any of them extensively”, listing such areas to include surveillance and digital protection, lawful interception of communication, digital protection and retention, among others, which he said “are currently the subject of various bills pending at National Assembly”. He argued that the scope of the Bill poses a “challenge of duplication and legislative conflict in the future.'"

Ms Alaba said: “The purpose of the Bill was never to address technical subjects in the area of digital rights and Internet freedom in any detailed or extensive manner, but to propose and affirm a human rights-based approach in dealing with these issues and to ensure that future laws and policies as well as administrative actions are consistent with this approach.”

She argued that “Given that no laws have been passed to guide the actions and activities of Government and other actors in these areas and in the light of the fact that there is no certainty about when such laws are likely to be passed, it makes no sense to refuse to assent to the Bill on the ground that it may duplicate or conflict with laws that are not yet in existence.”

According to her, “A more logical approach for a government that is genuinely desirous of upholding and protecting the digital rights and freedoms of its citizens would be to ensure that the spirit behind the proposed legislation and the principles recognized in it are consistent with the government’s policy stance and then ensuring that the provisions of future laws touching on the issues addressed in the Bill are properly aligned with its policy approach, even where such laws seek to address technical issues in a more detailed and extensive manner.”

Ms Alaba noted that the President was well aware of the fact that his position was untenable and likely to be very unpopular, which was why he waited until after the General Elections to decline assent and express his views on the matter when he knew that he had 30 days from February 5, 2019 to indicate whether he would assent to the Bill or withhold assent.

Besides, she argued, the Federal Government had ample opportunities during the legislative process to express its views on the provisions of the Bill and to ensure that the Administration’s concerns were adequately addressed by the lawmakers in the course of making the Law.

She said: “We are aware that several agencies of the Federal Government with specialized and technical competence and mandates in the areas covered by the Bill were involved in the legislative process and did not raise any objection to the passage of the Bill. Indeed, they signed off on the provisions of the Bill, which was why the National Assembly was comfortable enough to pass the Bill speedily.”

Criticizing the attitude of the Presidency, Ms Alaba noted that “We consider it to be an unconscionable waste of the time of members of the National Assembly and huge public resources for the Presidency to stand by without engaging the legislative process or expressing the Administration’s position on such an important matter so its perspective can be properly taken into account, but to simply wait for the process to be concluded before vetoing the Bill. Whilst we concede that the President has the constitutional power to veto Bills, we do not believe that the power should be exercised in such a cynical and arrogant manner.”

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Osun State: Election Tribunal declares Senator Adeleke of PDP winner - ITREALMS

BreakingNews@ITREALMS:

Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Osun State Governorship poll, has been declared the winner by the Election Tribunal, reports ITREALMS.

The sitting monitored in Lagos by ITREALMS, the Tribunal made the declaration on Friday after dismissing a preliminary objection against the petition of the PDP and Senator Adeleke, challenging the September 2018 governorship election in the state.ITREALMS gathered that the preliminary objection was filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the election, Governor Gboyega Oyetola, as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

ALSO READ: Osun guber election: Time to stand for truth - ITR...

Equally, the three defendants claimed that the petition of the PDP and its candidate was incompetent and the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to hear it.

Delivering a ruling on the preliminary objection, Justice Obiora Obi who is a member of the three-man Tribunal held that the petition was competent.

He also stated that the Tribunal has the jurisdiction to hear and determine it.

The judge held that there was merit in the appeal filed by the PDP and Senator Adeleke, adding that the declaration and return of Governor Oyetola by INEC was null and void.

He, thereafter, declared Senator Adeleke, who represents Osun West district in the National Assembly, as the winner of the election and duly elected governor of the state.

The tribunal also held that the Certificate of Return issued to Governor Oyetola be withdrawn and that a fresh one should be issued to Senator Adeleke of the PDP, having fulfilled the conditions of the law.

It said the petitioner scored the lawful majority votes at the election while the rerun held in the seven cancelled units were null and void and of no electoral effect.

The PDP and Senator Adeleke had approached the Tribunal to challenge the declaration of Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC as the winner of the September 22, 2018, election by the electoral body.

After entertaining final arguments and adoption of written addresses by lawyers to the parties involved on March 7, the Tribunal announced that it would reserve judgment on the matter.

The Tribunal, which was earlier sitting in Osun, was relocated from the High Court of Justice Complex, Osogbo to Abuja in November 2018.

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Over 100 speakers lineup for Artificial Intelligence global summit - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Over 100 speakers have been confirmed for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Good Global Summit, reports ITREALMS.

Some of the confirmed participants include Jim Hagemann Snabe – Chairman, Siemens​​, Cédric Villani – AI advisor to the President of France, and Mathematics Fields Medal Winner, and Jean-Philippe Courtois – President of Global Operations, Microsoft to name a few.

AI, ITREALMS gathered, h​as taken giant leaps forward in recent years, inspiring growing confidence in AI's ability to assist in solving some of humanity's greatest challenges.

Leaders in AI and humanitarian action are convening on the neutral platform offered by the United Nations to work towards AI improving the quality and sustainability of life on our planet.

Organized by the International Telecommunication Union (IT​U) – the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technology (ICT) – in partnership with the XPRIZE Foundation, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and close to 30 sister United Nations agencies, the 3rd annual ​AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, 28-31 May, is the leading United Nations platform for inclusive dialogue on AI. The goal of the summit is to identify practical applications of AI to accelerate progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals​​.​

The summit attracts a cross-section of AI experts from industry and academia, global business leaders, Heads of UN agencies, ICT ministers, non-governmental organizations, and civil society.

The summit is designed to generate 'AI for Good' projects able to be enacted in the near term, guided by the summit's multi-stakeholder and inter-disciplinary audience. It also formulates supporting strategies to ensure trusted, safe and inclusive development of AI technologies and equitable access to their benefits.

The 2019 summit will highlight AI's value in advancing education, healthcare and wellbeing, social and economic equality, space research, and smart and safe mobility. It will propose actions to assist high-potential AI solutions in achieving global scale. It will host debate around unintended consequences of AI as well as AI's relationship with art and culture. A 'learning day' will offer potential AI adopters an audience with leading AI experts and educators.

The summit slated for 28-31 May 2019, ITREALMS reports will hold at the International Conference Centre Geneva, 17 Rue de Varembé, Geneva, Switzerland.

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Nyong makes ‘100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy 2019’ - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) is pleased to announce  the nomination of Professor Anthony Nyong, Director for Climate Change and Green Growth, as one of the ‘100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy 2019’ by Apolitical, a peer-to-peer learning platform for governments, reports ITREALMS.

Nyong, a pioneering and globally recognized climate change expert, was named among the top 20 on the prestigious listing announced Wednesday in London.

Lisa Witter, Apolitical’s Executive Chairman said: “The need to reduce greenhouse gas emission is urgent. 174 countries and the EU agreed to act at the Paris Agreements. At Apolitical, we highlight the good work that government does and help it to become even better. By showcasing these climate policy leaders, we hope to encourage more collaboration and exchange to accelerate the effective response to the global climate threat.”

Nyong joined the Bank in 2008 and built up the Bank’s climate change initiatives including its Green Growth Agenda. Prior to joining the Bank, he worked as a Senior Program Specialist for Climate Change at the International Development Research Centre in Nairobi. In this role, Nyong successfully mobilized substantial resources to set up the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa program that has significantly built adaptation capacity across the continent. Prior to that, he was a Coordinating Lead Author of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and was a Co-Recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions. Mr. Nyong also served as a Professor of Climate Change at the University of Jos, Nigeria.

“We are delighted by this nomination of one of our own to this list,” Bank Vice President, Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, Amadou Hott said. “It is a worthy recognition of his - and the Bank’s -commitment to respond to climate change threats on our continent, which remains disproportionately affected.”

Apolitical’s ‘100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy’ list celebrates inspirational leaders, politicians, advocates, youth activists, academics and diplomats from all over the world whose work is indispensable to raising awareness, such as Greta Thunberg, the 16 year old Swedish activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, who sparked off a worldwide movement to fight against global warming, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest ever US Congresswoman and lead advocate of the Green New Deal, Patricia Espinosa, and David Attenborough, world-renowned British historian.

The list was compiled from hundreds of nominations from governments, international organisations and academia, including the UNDP, Harvard, Oxford, Bloomberg, the Climate Action Network.

 “It is an honour to be acknowledged amongst such an influential list of leaders who are passionate and actively working to influence policy and make a tangible difference towards addressing global climate change,” said Nyong. “Climate change has evolved from an environmental worry to a threat on global development, particularly in Africa. The African Development Bank under the leadership of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has demonstrated a strong commitment at both policy and implementation level, to climate compatible development in Africa.”

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Latest Dell research reveals explosive growth on data protection

ITREALMS

Dell EMC has announced the results of the third Global Data Protection Index revealing an explosive growth rate of data of 569 per cent and an impressive jump in data protection “adopters” of nearly 50 percentage points since 2016, reports ITREALMS.

The research, which surveyed 2,200 IT decision makers from both public and private organizations with 250+ employees across 18 countries and 11 industries, provides a comprehensive understanding of the state of data protection and the maturity of data protection strategies. Specifically, the Index uncovered an increase in the average amount of data managed – from 1.45 petabytes (PB) in 2016 to 9.70PB in 2018 – and a high awareness of the value of data. In fact, 92 percent of respondents see the potential value of data and 36 percent are already monetizing their data. While this acknowledgement is positive, most respondents are struggling to properly protect their data. The combination of these factors is driving many of the survey’s findings. 

The sheer volume of data and its importance to business operations make data protection that much more challenging. Disruption incidents are occurring frequently, but more alarming is the increasing amount of irreversible data loss. More than three-quarters (76 percent) of respondents globally experienced some type of disruption within a 12-month period, and 27 percent were unable to recover data using their existing data protection solution – nearly double the amount (14 percent) in 2016. 

Coincidentally, 76 percent of respondents worldwide are also using at least two data protection vendors, which makes them 35 percent more likely to experience some type of disruption during the same 12-month period, compared to those with a single vendor. Unplanned systems downtime was the most common type of disruption (43 percent) for those using two or more vendors, followed by ransomware attack that prevented access to data (32 percent) and data loss (29 percent).

Although unplanned systems downtime is more prevalent, data loss is far more expensive. For example, those who encountered downtime experienced 20 hours of downtime on average in the last 12 months, costing $526,845, while those who lost data, lost 2.13 terabytes on average with a price tag of nearly $1 million. Additionally, many of those who experienced a disruption also indicated it had far-reaching business impacts from customer trust to brand equity to employee productivity, to name a few.

Not only does the amount of data lost increase the price, but so does the value of data itself. It’s clear that organizations recognize this as 81 percent said they take data protection more seriously for categories of data that have the greatest monetary value.

Nenye Dom/Editors

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Children living in conflicts more likely to die from water-related diseases – ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Children under the age of 15 living in countries affected by protracted conflict are, on average, almost three times more likely to die from diarrhoeal diseases caused by a lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene than by direct violence, UNICEF said in a new report today.

Water Under Fire looks at mortality rates in 16 countries going through prolonged conflicts and finds that, in most of them, children under the age of five are more than 20 times more likely to die from diarrheal-related deaths linked to lack of access to safe water and sanitation than direct violence.

“The odds are already stacked against children living through prolonged conflicts – with many unable to reach a safe water source,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “The reality is that there are more children who die from lack of access to safe water than by bullets."

“In Nigeria, conflict has created huge challenges for people living in the north-east of the country, where violence has affected their ability to access water and sanitation, leading to diseases such as cholera,” said Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Nigeria Representative.

“More than 3.6 million people are in need of water, sanitation and hygiene services – 1.1 million of these are internally displaced (IDPs), having fled their homes due to violence and conflict.  Many of them are out-of-reach, in remote areas still impacted by conflict. About 800,000 people are in hard-to-reach areas and 79 percent of these are children and women,” said Mohamed Fall..

In north-east Nigeria, 5,365 people were affected by cholera, with 61 dying in 2017, while 12,643 people were affected and 175 died of cholera in 2018.

UNICEF is working to scale-up lifesaving responses, especially in IDP camps, to ensure quality and sustainability of WASH services and facilities, minimize the risk of WASH-related diseases, and to provide preventive measures against cholera and other water-borne diseases.

Without safe and effective water, sanitation and hygiene services, children are at risk of malnutrition and preventable diseases including diarrhoea, typhoid, cholera and polio. Girls are particularly affected: They are vulnerable to sexual violence as they collect water or venture out to use latrines. They deal with affronts to their dignity as they bathe and manage menstrual hygiene. And they miss classes during menstruation if their schools have no suitable water and sanitation facilities.  

These threats are exacerbated during conflict when deliberate and indiscriminate attacks destroy infrastructure, injure personnel and cut off the power that keeps water, sanitation and hygiene systems running. Armed conflict also limits access to essential repair equipment and consumables such as fuel or chlorine – which can be depleted, rationed, diverted or blocked from delivery. Far too often, essential services are deliberately denied.

“Deliberate attacks on water and sanitation are attacks on vulnerable children,” said Fore. “Water is a basic right. It is a necessity for life.”

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Unitel chief to preside over GSMA group on Africa Fraud, Security - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Unitel was elected to chair the GSMA Association Africa Fraud and Security Group (AFASG), a specific working group dedicated to dealing with critical fraud and security issues for the telecommunications industry in Africa, reports ITREALMS.

The mandate has a period of two years, renewable for two more, upon evaluation of the work carried out and subject to a new election. The appointment is the result of an application process which is based on the presentation of a Strategic Leadership Plan for the Group in Africa, submitted to the consideration of its members.

Unitel competed with MTN (which has 18 operations in Africa) and with Wana Corporate, Morocco. The role of Chair will be assured by the Director of Risk, Fraud and Security of Unitel, José Carlos Sobreira Martins.

The AFASG includes the major telecommunication groups in Africa such as: Orange (18 operations in Africa); MTN (18); Airtel (16); Vodafone / Vodacom (8) and Millicom / Tigo (4), in addition to other individual mobile operators and Associate Members such as technology vendors such as Ericsson and Huawei.

AFASG is an entity within the framework of the GSMA Association, which in turn represents the international interests of all mobile telecommunications operators in the world. There are more than 800 mobile operators, and more than 350 associated companies that are part of the broad mobile ecosystem.

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Why Buhari refused to sign Digital Rights Bill - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

President Muhammadu Buhari has declined assent to the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill, alleging conflict with proposed laws yet to be passed by the National Assembly. ” reports ITREALMS.

The Bill, ITREALMS recalls was transmitted to the President on February 5, 2019 by the National Assembly. 

But in a letter read on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, President Buhari conveyed his decision to decline assent to the bill, alleging that it “covers too many technical subjects and fails to address any of them extensively.”

Reacting to this development, the pan-African digital rights advocacy organization, Paradigm Initiative, expressed disappointment over the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to decline assent to the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill, describing it "as a huge setback for human rights online in Nigeria.”

The Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, Mr. ‘Gbenga Sesan told ITREALMS that despite Buhari's refusal that the work has to go on.

“Work will continue on the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill in Nigeria, and in other countries where Paradigm Initiative is now working with partners on the adoption of similar positive rights legislation,” he declared.

Pointing out that they are not deterred at all, insisting that "efforts of our coalition on the Bill are not a lost cause. Although the President’s refusal to assent the bill is a setback, we are currently liaising with our partners towards a strategy to take this work forward. At stake is the state of human rights online in Nigeria, which is too important to abandon, and which we have dedicated ourselves to protect,."

Also, the group acknowledged the President's willingness to sign a bill focused on "the protection of human rights within the digital environment,” and vowed to work with the National Assembly and other stakeholders to make this a reality.

Equally commenting on the development, Paradigm Initiative’s Programme Manager, Boye Adegoke said, “We also acknowledge the role that certain stakeholders played including the role of a government agency that premised their opposition to the Bill on the fact that some of Bill's provisions are currently the subjects of various National Assembly Bills. We consider it strange that assent was denied to a Bill on the ground that its provision could conflict with proposed laws that have not been passed by the national assembly. ”

The Digital Rights and Freedom Bill makes provision for the protection of human rights online and has been praised by experts for its forward-looking provisions on human rights and its potential to help protect users of digital tools. 

Uboshe Uboshe/Editor

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IoT Still a Hook? - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS:

Internet of Things (IoT) has been a major buzzword in the technology sphere for several years. The industry itself has grown at a remarkable rate. According to a report by Spoke Intelligence and ReadWrite, in 2018, there were 5,383 businesses building the Internet of Things, employing nearly 500,000 workers, having raised $256 billion in funding, and creating hundreds of billions of dollars in value.

In just a few short years, IoT has gone from a novel concept to a crowded market. So, if there are more than 5,000 other businesses out there calling themselves an IoT company, how do you stand out from the crowd? And should you still call your business an IoT company or is the term now too generic to gain any traction?

What’s your hook?

Your marketing hook is designed to arouse interest in your product or service, and elicit further interaction between your company and the prospective customer. To create an effective hook, you must decide on the message you want to convey to your target audience and find the one angle that will differentiate your brand from everyone else’s.

To hook customers, you need good bait. This is where understanding your audience’s needs, wants, characteristics, and preferences becomes very important. Do your research to gather this information before developing your messaging.

One of the first places companies look for hooks is at the competition. However, be careful not to fall victim to a “me too” mentality. This is especially easy to do in a hot industry like IoT. But this kind of thinking will make you blend in instead of standing out.

How should you refer to yourself?

Even though the market is becoming more saturated every day, at this point, it’s still important to utilize the word IoT in your messaging. However, the focus must be on finding the message that resonates with the audience you are trying to engage.

People are growing increasingly savvy about the IoT and what it is, but it’s got to be more than black magic going forward. They need to understand the inherent value of utilizing the IoT—and working with you as a trusted partner along their IoT journey.

You may use IoT as a buzzword to gain attention and increase brand awareness, but it’s not going to generate leads on its own.

How do different vertical markets refer to the IoT?

According to analyst firm Analysys Mason, in 2019, the roles of different IoT platform providers will become more defined and smaller platform players and operators will increasingly sharpen their focus on the enterprise market with clearer vertical propositions.

We’re seeing “smart” a lot more on the B2B side – smart city, smart building, smart utility, smart energy. Other options include connected, automated, and autonomous. But the best words to use for your business are the ones that describe what your customer is looking for. That comes from inherent knowledge of your customers’ business drivers and pain points.

So is IoT still a hook? Yes and no. The word IoT still holds a lot of weight, so yes, continue to use it in your messaging, but dig deeper to find the value proposition your company offers, as well as the strategic positioning and key messages that will garner the attention of your target audience.

Discover more innovative marketing strategies for IoT brands.

*Calysto

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Free Trade Area: Marrakech hosts Africa Ministers on fiscal policies - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

A seven day Africa’s Conference of Ministers (CoM) has kicked off in the city Marrakech Morocco, reports ITREALMS.

For the next seven days, ITREALMS gathered, Marrakech will be hosting the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa's Conference of Ministers (CoM).

CoM, ITREALMS reports, is one of the most important gatherings of African policy makers and experts that will help shape policy for the continent.

The theme this year is “Fiscal policy, trade and the private sector in the digital era: a strategy for Africa”.

The Forum, ITREALMS equally reports, would provide an opportunity for African Ministers to examine the fiscal policies necessary for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area within the frameworks of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 and the critical role of private sector in the era of the digital economy.

Chuks Egbune/Editor

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Viable start-ups: Konga in top league rating - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The E-commerce giant Konga has emerged among an exclusive list of globally viable start-ups and corporate organizations after achieving top scores in a rating by Early Metrics, an independent rating agency for start-ups and innovative SMEs, reports ITREALMS.

The rating places Konga in a rarefied club of the top 14 per cent of the 2,100 startups rated globally as at March 2019, further justifying the elevated standing of the company as one of the most promising ventures in the Nigerian and African business space.

A European-based global rating agency, Early Metrics assesses the growth potential of innovative and early-stage ventures. Their ratings support decision makers such as investors and corporates to identify innovative start-ups worthy of their time and money. Their ratings also help the organizations themselves, as it allows them to critically examine their strengths and weaknesses, gain credibility and give their investors added confidence by being audited by a third party.

Konga, acquired by the Zinox Group about 12 months ago, has been undergoing strategic restructuring and expansion to position it as the first and largest Omni – channel e-Commerce group on the African continent.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Minister laments death of Emir of Patigi - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described as a huge shock and a monumental loss the death of the Emir of Patigi, Alhaji Ibrahim Chatta Umar, reports ITREALMS.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by Segun Adeyemi, the SA to Hon Minister of Information and Culture, the Minister condoled with the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the government and people of Kwara and, in particular, the people of Patigi over the loss.

He described the late Emir, who was the Vice Chairman of the State's Traditional Council, as a man of peace, a great custodian of his people's culture and a father to all, saying his wise counsel and leadership will be greatly missed, especially at this critical time in the history of Kwara State.

Alhaji Mohammed said his last meeting with the Emir, during the burial of the father of Olofa of Offa, left him with a good memory of the departed monarch.

He prayed that God will grant the late Emir Al-Jannah Firdaus and comfort the people he left behind


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Ecobank Academy, RedCross team up on African effective leadership - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Ecobank is proud to announce that its prestigious Ecobank Academy will be training 150 senior leaders of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) from 45 African countries this week to strengthen their leadership skills with regard to helping the communities they serve, reports ITREALMS.

The IFRC is leveraging its partnership with Ecobank to upscale its capabilities through training to enhance its work in local communities. The three day ‘IFRC Africa Region Leadership Forum’ training course is being provided by the Ecobank Academy. The Academy delivers world-class management development courses and is the first pan-African corporate university as well as being one of the largest capability development centres in Africa.

The aim of the course is ‘Building African National Society leadership to be proud of’ and it will include training on leadership skills, leading National Societies effectively, partnership management, governance and responsibility, risk management and controls, sustainability, integrity and transparency, youth and gender engagement and the opportunities of digitization.

Simon Rey, Group Head, Ecobank Academy and Carl Manlan, COO of Ecobank Foundation, said: “The Ecobank Academy and Ecobank Foundation have worked closely with the IFRC to devise training courses for their national leaders covering key leadership skills such as governance, accountability and sustainability. We have built a strong relationship with the IFRC and it is hugely gratifying that we can play a role in their impactful work supporting suffering communities.”

Dr. Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, IFRC’s Regional Director for Africa, commented: “At the IFRC we recognise that leadership is about solving problems. The training that our African leaders will receive from the Ecobank Academy will successfully position them to devise solutions to the challenges they face. Ecobank’s support in this, and in many other ways, is proving to be an invaluable asset in our work to address health, disasters and crises affecting communities throughout the African continent.”

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Osun guber election: Time to stand for truth - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS:

Nigerian democratic experiment has passed through several phases.The turbulence of the polity can be demoralizing and the contestation can be truly ungodly.In the brickbat of power struggle at times emerged shining light to which all political warlords embrace even when they share different political orientations.The September 2018 governorship election was one in which rivals and allies agreed that a candidate ,Ademola Adeleke was openly and brazey robbed of victory.

Let's get certan facts straight- politics is not ungodly as many seem to paint it.Those who deny God in their political dealings end miserably. Many examples abound.Those who think there is no place for justice miss an eternal lesson. God is a lord of justice. In the murky water of politics, justice is very much ruling because the sword of justice is the message of God. Osun is a critical test case for Nigerian political class.This is an open recorded and documented case of daylight violent electoral robbery. A date has been fixed for judgement.The world is in search of that voice of justice, he who will serve as an eternal tool in the hand of God to proclaim that justice is my product and those who deliver it are my true servants.They wont be overwhelmed; they will triumph if they stand by equity and justice.

The story of Osun guber election was well documented .In broad daylight and live on television,a winner was swindled and a popular mandate was stolen.During the electioneering campaign,nobody gave Senator Adeleke any chance.He was maligned. He was attacked and he suffered untold personal injuries. Ademola was vilified and painted in the worst of images.Series of trumped up charges were filed ;his campaign train were severally shot at.It was a terrifying campaign session for the senator. His vilification however only served to endear him more to the people. Public symphaty was huge. Osun people trooped out and massively voted and reposed a guber mandate to the Senator.With live transmission,his votes were removed. Alteration of results were perpetrated .Strangely he still won by over five hundred votes.

Shocked at manipulative failure so far, the anti-democratic forces swung into action and returned with a concoction of a rerun based on cancellation of only seven units out of close to 3,010 polling units and 7550 Voting points in the state.The state was thrown into mourning. Osun people who had struggled peacefully to deliver themselves from the slave masters had their hope truncated. A spontaneous state wide demonstration was to ensue. Immedialtely the candidate and the party intervened, urging maintenance of law and order and insisting that our God is a God of justice.The state was saved from the like of 1964/65 "operation weti e". Instead of taking laws into their own hands, the robbed mandate holder shunned violence and instead reposed hope and confidence in the hallowed and sacred chambers of justice; the Judiciary.
The consensus was that Nigerian judiciary has for long been an harbinger of justice -Osun will provide another opportunity to prove that Nigeria still has judges whose integrity is godly and whose principle and philosophy are regulated by nothing but justice and equity.

In this internet age, the proceedings at the tribunal was also judiciously followed by many Nigerians. In court was the Petitioner, Senator Ademola Adeleke, the man who was denied of victory .The respondents were Gboyega Oyetola,the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral commission. During the course of trial,the petitioner presented about 84 witnesses, party agents who proved beyond reasonable doubt that the actual election results were doctored and tampered with. The INEC collated results differ from the original pink copies issued to party agents after the election,there were rampant cases of figure manipulation, over voting and non recording of accreditation. The petitioner went the extra length to prove that the rerun of Sepetember 27 was not an election but a violently rigged exercise where PDP agents and voters were harassed, attacked and denied opportunities to participate. The weight of evidence was not just captured in written submissions but there were electronic evidence. A reporter of Channels Televisioh actually came to testify and confirmed the violence and manipulation of the rerun exercise showing video recordings.

What shocked most Nigerians about the respondents were many. INEC the electoral body which was to defend the results it announced conducted one of the most porous and weak defence ever in the history of Nigerian judiciary.INEC failed after almost four adjournments to call any witness .It was so bad for the commission that at a point its lawyers threw in the towel,confirming that it cannot justify her declaration of Oyetola as the winner of that election. For Oyetola and the APC ,they were able to call about 11 witnesses altogether, with half of that number witnessing against them. In the rigorous treatment of the petition,the petitioner also demonstrated superior legal mastery. In several instances, superior legal arguments of the petitioner's lawyers were affirmed and confirmed by the panel of judges.

From the hearing, it was obvious that the respondents failed woefully to defend how they came about the stolen mandate.The PDP team proved quite vigorously that in the political field, it won clearly and that in the legal field ,it reassured that the petition was foolproof. Many Nigerians frequently asked what is going to happen at the tribunal.They recounted how the hearing has gone so far.They mostly conclude that the senator should be restored as the duly elected governor of Osun state.There is a consensus among the citizenry that Osun is a blight, a stain on democratic credential of the nation called Nigeria. It was an election watched by almost all Nigerians in which they know right away the winner who was later denied of victory. Any person or group of persons who help to reverse a global injustice would have written their names in the golden book of Nigerians and God.The weight of that decision is heavy,not because of Ademola but because of the suffering masses of Osun.

Ever since the tragedy of September September 22nd and 27th, Osun people have remained in perpetual mourning .They know the bondage continues despite their voting for change the change. Across the 30 local government areas of the state, they piously and anxiously await the day a Messiah will set them free. The economic and social hardship in the state coupled with almost N450Billion worth of state debt wreck untold pain on the people. Ademola remains the only source of political and economic liberation which they perfectly hoped for. Any decision that change the status quo in Osun will receive loud blessing and prayers of Osun people.

As the nation awaits the judgement in the next few hours,now is the era to stand for and by the truth. In the life of a nation, speaking and walking the path of truth immortalise a man beyond the viccicitudes of the present.On a panel decision rests the fate of over two million Osun people.It is not the fate of Ademola that is at stake,it is that of Osun workers,farmers,students, youths, women and others whose present and future are mortgaged by ruthless slave holders.

Who will rescue my people? Who will stand by truth? Who will remove this democratic stain on Nigerian democracy? Whoever does so will become a hero of not just Osun people but of the Nigerian democracy.

The world watches.

*Olawale Rasheed  is the spokesman of Senator Ademola Adeleke ,the PDP Governorship Candidate in the 2018 election.

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eWorld Forum to mark 10th edition with awards - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Leading platform for broadband and digital development policy formulation and pathfinder to growth and services innovation, eWorld Forums will mark its 10th year edition on June 5, 2019, with awards to leading companies that have contributed to Nigeria’s digital and broadband services transformation, reports ITREALMS.

The event, expected to attract leading minds, idea creators, solution givers and broadband and digital services innovators, will kick-start with a conference on "The Nigeria’s Roadmap to Broadband Everywhere."

Topics lined up for discussion include: The Smart cities and hotspots everywhere vision; how are the Infracos and the last mile quest faring; the 5G evolution: whither Nigeria; is 5G a necessary imperative for Nigeria’s broadband everywhere quest; what is the role of spaced-based communication in the broadband era and in achieving broadband everywhere vision: 4G, 5G; and how telcos are meeting and plans to meet the Nigeria’s customers’ expectation?

By Nigeria’s broadband vision, as espoused by the Nigerian Communication Commission, seamless broadband ubiquity and affordability should be within reach in the next few years, beginning from 2020.

The Infracos are expected to play a key role, besides the irreplaceable roles already being played by the mobile networks, in pushing broadband to our homes, public places, villages and cities.

The eWorld Forums started in 2009 where the idea of a Nigerian Broadband Policy was muted, first by Professor Raymond Akwule, former President of Digital Bridge Institute, who chaired the event.

Since then, the eWorld Forum has played significant roles in charting the way for broadband and digital transformation in Nigeria.

The Forum held its 9th edition on September 20, 2018 at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos. The theme for that event was Nigeria’s Readiness for Digital Transformation.

ICT Experts who spoke at the event include, the Chief Executive Officer of Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria ( IXPN) Mr Muhammed Rudman, The President of Medallion, Mr Ikechukwu Nnamani, The CEO of eStream Network, Mr. Muyiwa Ogungboye, The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, who was represented by Mrs. Chioma Okee-Oguguo, the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, who was represented by the Chairman, Regulatory and Legal Committee at ALTON, Mrs. Eno Udoma-Eniang.

Chief coordinator of the event, Mr Aaron Ukodie, who is also publisher of the eWorldNews@ eWorldNews.com.ng said sponsors and interested speakers can reach out to his organisation contact him at ronukodie@yahoo.com or 08055069090 or 08099400194

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Global Coalition rejects Buhari reelection, says its militarised - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Nigerians in diaspora under the auspices of the Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria (GCSDN), have rejected the purported election of Muhammadu Buhari, saying that the election was a sham and should be rejected

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, the global coordinator Frederick Odorige , who spoke from Budapest , Hungary , described the election as ill-fated and the worse that he had seen since he was born.

"The election was marred by killing, apparent rigging, ballot box snatching and destruction of ballot papers by hired thugs. It was highly militarized by soldiers loyal to Muhammadu Buhari," declared Odorige.


According to him "An election that culminates in the killing of 47 unarmed Nigerians is not an election."
On the contrary, the coalition noted that it was significant that no cases of violence was masterminded by any of the presidential candidates from the new political parties.
The coalition decried the sad fact that Nigerian youths surrendered themselves to their oppressors by allowing self-seeking politicians to use them as paid thugs instead of aligning with young presidential candidates to actualize the dream of a new Nigeria.
The coalition further noted that votes were insidiously awarded to young presidential candidates in such a way that the popular candidates among them were awarded very low number of votes in order to demoralize their enthusiastic followers.


Odorige said through a general questionaire answered by members of the coalition from 32 countries, 100 percent responded that the election was clearly not free and fair ,while 95.5 per cent further agreed that some persons who played disastrous roles in the election should be declared persona non grata.


He listed some prominent Nigerian politicians, among them President Buhari for allegedly giving permission to Nigerian soldiers to participate in our elections and killing innocent Nigerians thereof.
These politicians engaged in sponsoring thuggery, masterminding massive rigging, electoral malpractices and luring corrupt Nigerians to their political party known as the All Peoples Congress, APC for their sins against the Nigerian state to be forgiven.


The coalition also alleged that these politicians were " leading soldiers to terrorize, disenfranchise and kill our compatriots in Rivers state."
While others engaged in hijacking ballot boxes, violently harrassing electoral officers and criminally allotting votes to himself at gun point.


Rochas Okorocha was alleged to have a forced Returning Officer of INEC to write a fake result to his favour.


The coalition stated that the consequences of this declaration is do not recognize the positions that some of the mentioned persons have imposed on Nigerians.


It also noted that Nigerians in the diaspora shall continue to mount pressure on the international community to disregard the positions the persons forcefully occupy and that whenever the listed persons travel abroad, Nigerians shall legally congregate and embarrass them as permitted by law.


Odorige called for the forensic examination of all card readers and the finger prints on the ballot papers because he strongly believes that the same persons thumb printed thousands of ballot papers in favour of APC and PDP as shown in various video recording.
In the statementment released on the youtube channel of the group, Odorige categorically stated that "we refuse the thief of our stolen mandate nicknamed Mr integrity. Retired Muhammadu Buhari is not our democratically elected President.
"This is not a military regime. This coup has failed. We vehemently reject the so-called election of Muhammadu Buhari.
"As long as we continue with this ballot box and ballot paper nonsense, Nigerian elections will continue to be theatres of war.
" We must quickly develop an electronic voting system for the 2023 elections where data in our PVC are transferred to our telephone sim cards that will enable Nigerians to vote from the convenience of their homes.
Nigerian elections will continue to be theatres of war unless we reduce the salaries of politicians strictly according to the law as stipulated by the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
A Senator must not be earning more than a Permanent Secretary and no former governor must receive pension. Politicians kill Nigerians not because they want to serve us, but because they want to serve themselves and their families through looting and receiving mind blowing salaries.
Yet our country is highly indebted. Machinery should also be set in motion that will allow Nigerians in diaspora to vote in upcoming elections.
Section 14 subsection 2b of the Nigerian Constitution (As amended) states that the welfare and security of the citizens shall be the primary purpose of the government.
Instead of securing Nigerians, people in positions of authority are killing them. Chapter 1 article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights states: Every human being shall be entitled to respect for his life and the integrity of his person.


Article 3 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations affirms: everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.


GCSDN referred to Buhari as a killer President who had ignored the many deaths of Nigerians before now; therefore more deaths mean nothing to him.
They did not see any reason why the validity of our election results must depend on the pronouncements of foreign observers who had earlier been threatened be El-Rufai at the expense of their lives.
The coalition declared that any foreign leader that stretches his or her hands to congratulate Muhammadu Buhari equally has blood in his or her hands.


We refuse to address Muhammadu Buhari as His Excellency since he rode to power with the blood of Nigerians. The members further called on the Nigerian Labour Congress, the Nigerian Bar Association and other bodies to mobilize Nigerians to reject this election results.
GCSDN is currently the fastest growing and largest platform of Nigerians in diaspora with presence in thirty two countries and the number is rising. It is currently open to all Nigerians in all the thirty six states of Nigeria including the FCT. According to Odorige, the movement is a non-violent association designed to bring Nigerians together as a way of forming a common platform and speaking with one voice with the goal of entrenching good governance for the good of all Nigerians.
The movement operates with a political ideology formulated by Odorige known as revolution without ammunition.





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Future gaming is in Augmented Reality says Ericson - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Latest Ericsson ConsumerLab report, Ready, steady, game! has identified 67 percent of gamers as saying they will increase their Augmented Reality (AR) usage in the next five years, reports ITREALMS.

The increase in video games, ITREALMS gathered is driven by the growth of mobile gaming, and now makes up 26 per cent of all media consumption hours.

The report captures the opinions of 7,000 gamers aged 15–69 in Brazil, China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and the US, resulting in a study representative of 676 million people globally. In addition to highlighting video gaming and how augmented reality (AR) could enable the next level of immersive gaming, it explores what implications an increased AR usage lead to in gaming, and how it would impact everyday life:

Overall, video gaming is becoming more and more mainstream. What was once thought to be the sole province of teenage boys has today become a hobby shared across age groups and genders. While the highest penetration of gaming can still be found among 16 to 24 year old boys, with 90 percent playing video games at least weekly, 45–59-year-old women also make up a significant player base, with half of them playing video games at least once a week.

Anders Erlandsson, Master researcher at Ericsson Consumer & IndustryLab, and main author of the report, says: “While gaming is already now a mainstream activity, with no less than 77 percent of the studied population being active gamers, augmented reality stand to grow the gamer community even further. More than 1 in 3 non gamers are interested in AR gaming.”

The most invested video gamers can be found in the Extreme Multi-gamer segment. They play video games across all platforms and, while they make up only 10 percent of the population, still account for almost half of all the time spent on video gaming. With the advent of AR, this could change, since 36 percent of non-gamers express interest in AR gaming. This is significant, given that no less than 23 percent are non-gamers.

Erlandsson says: "In our earlier gaming study, that was released in 2014, we concluded that gamers and non-gamers alike felt there was a stigma associated with identifying yourself as a gamer. Today that stigma is more or less non-existent – particularly amongst gamers."

Currently, AR gamers are both intrigued by the promises of AR and disappointed by the delivery. Almost 4 out of 10 AR gamers agree that AR gaming will be more interesting with better and more immersive games, access to lower-cost AR glasses and better batteries. Almost six out of ten AR gamers list immersive experience as a key driver for playing AR gamers.

AR looks set to become a key component of mainstream entertainment, with 48 percent of all consumers saying they will use AR across different media types, including gaming, in the next 5 years. Interestingly, 7 out of 10 AR gamers think that AR opens up a totally new video gaming experience, and almost as many agree that it will change how video games are played in the future.

When gamers start accepting digital objects in the real world, these habits will lead to an acceptance in other areas too. For example, 45 percent of gamers are interested in using AR glasses to watch TV and video, and almost as many say they would use AR to plan their homes. Looking forward, as many as 67 percent of gamers say they will increase their AR usage in the next 5 years. It's clear AR is poised to make its mark on society and media consumption is going to be a key component on the augmented road ahead.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Senate endorses N30,000 minimum wage, demands immediate implementation - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Senate on Tuesday endorsed N30,000 proposed as the new national minimum wage by Green Chambers, urging the Federal Government to commence the implementation without further delay so as to avoid another round of strike by workers before putting it into practice, reports ITREALMS.

The Senate session monitored in Lagos, the acting Chairman of the Senate ad-hoc committee on National Minimum Wage Bill, Senator Francis Alimikhena, delivered the report saying that a fine of N75,000 has been imposed on firms that refused to comply with the wage payment.

The panel also recommended the urgent review of the revenue-sharing formula, to enhance states’ ability to pay the new minimum wage.

They also urged the Minister of Finance and her counterparts in the Budget and National Planning to as a matter of urgency, compute and forward to the National Assembly, for inclusion in the 2019 budget, the actual amount required for the new minimum wage.

Leader of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, wondered why the fine for non-compliance jumped from N5, 000 as recommended by the executive to N75,000, while commending the Federal Government for fulfilling its promise to the Nigerian workers and enjoined the organised labour to reciprocate the gesture by being more productive.

Senator James Manager described as unfortunate, the fact that some state governments had yet to apply the N18, 000 minimum wage.

In her contribution, the Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi, noted that the review of the revenue-sharing formula would enable more state governments to pay the new wage.

Senator Barnabas Gemade pointed that the bill was passed promptly to show that the National Assembly was committed to the welfare of the workers.

Senator Andrew Uchendu, said the tripartite committee should hold regular meetings with a view to constantly review the minimum wage.

Under the current sharing arrangement, the Federal Government takes 56 per cent, states receive 24 per cent while the local governments share the remaining 20 per cent.

The Senate wholesomely approved recommendations contained in the report.

In his submission, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, insisted the Federal Government should pay the new minimum wage without delay rather than waiting for the workers to go on strike to demand the implementation.

Uboshe Uboshe/Editor

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PoDlancer debuts - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Professional on-Demand (POD), a platform for freelancers has made its debut, reports ITREALMS.

Project coordinator at PoD, Mr. Chinedu Obikwelu confirmed this to ITREALMS, saying they are freelancer community of providers of services and project owners.

He also explained that Podlancer is a freelance website, designed to provide project owners with the opportunity to post projects cum jobs to a community of over 1000 Professionals On-Demand with the aim of getting bids from these professionals so that one of them can be hired to get the job done.

“As long as you want to get a project done, Podlancer is the platform. You are free to register as a project owner or freelancer on www.podlancer.com,” he said. 

Obikwelu went on to stated that what makes it different comprised of the fact that it was built and styled differently; No need for multiple listing, one profile is all you need; Register one profile, update and maintain on the go; and profiles do not expire.

“You can boost your listing to featured (premium feature) where your listing is shown on top of others for the number of days purchased,” he said.

Chuks Egbune/Editor

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Chinedu Obikwelu

Sex offenders to undergo compulsory psychiatry test in Ekiti - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Ekiti State Government has announced new measures aimed at curbing sexual violence, especially child defilement and rape in the state, reports ITREALMS.

The State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Wale Fapounda at a press conference to announce the new measures disclosed that persons currently standing trial for offence of child defilement and those whom the Director of Public Prosecution had issued a ‘case to answer’ legal advice for the same offense will henceforth undergo compulsory psychiatry test.

Other measures according to the Commissioner include pasting of photographs of convicted sex offenders in prominent public spaces in their local government headquarters, uploading the sex offenders photograph on the website of the Ministry of Justice.

Such sex offenders would also have their photographs shown on the state owned Television station and their names announced on state radio, in an apparent move to name and shame them.

Fapounda said the state came up with these new measures, when previous measures, which include aggressive prosecution of sex offenders, opening of sex offenders register and disqualification from prerogative of mercy appeared not sufficient enough to curb the scourge.

He said the Dr Kayode Fayemi-led administration has a zero tolerance for sexual violence and would do everything possible to protect women and children against the scrouge, which is fast becoming rampant in the state.




Fapohunda who admitted that prosecution alone would not end the social malaise which is now almost becoming a trend in Ekiti State, said the Ministry would also issue an advisory to the traditional ruler of the sex offender’s community on the status of the offender.

“Today, I am announcing new measures aimed at curbing sexual violence in the State. The State Government is concerned about the frequency of reported cases of sexual offenses. It has therefore become necessary to put in place proactive measures to halt this trend. So that there is no confusion, the measures that have been announced today refer specifically to the offenses of rape and child defilement”, he said.

The Attorney General stated further that the measures are aimed at protecting women and the girl child; adding that government is working to ensure that maximum penalties are placed on sexual offenders.

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