Bethel Amadi: Irona says 'Imo has lost a great son' - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The deputy governor-elect of Imo State, Rt. Hon. Gerald Alphonsus Irona has eulogized the late former Speaker of the Pan African Parliament, Rt. Hon. Bethel Amadi, describing his demise as a big loss to Imo State, reports ITREALMS.

Speaking during the funeral rites of the Ikeduru-born federal Lawmaker, Irona expressed shock at his sudden death, even as he prayed God to console his family.

“News of the death of Rt. Hon. Bethel Amadi came to me like a shock. Initially, I doubted it, until when I got confirmations. The truth is that Imo has lost a great son, a legislative icon and a good governance advocate. He is a strong believer in the “Rebuild Imo” Project and believed strongly in the new and unfolding Imo. He left at a time his invaluable experience and contributions would have counted so much. I pray that the good Lord consoles the family, Ikeduru Local Government, Imo State and of course, Nigeria and Africa at large.”

“Bethel was a strong believer in good governance, due process and the rule of law. He was a strong defender of justice, never liked or supported oppression of any sort. He was so determined to take the dividends of democracy to the door steps of his people and his people loved him so much. You can see for yourself, the caliber of persons here. Governors -serving and former, lawmakers, members of the State and federal executive, businessmen and ladies, and people from all walks of life, bearing witness to the late Bethel’s outstanding qualities. He had excellent human relations skills and treated all around him fairly. He was a good family man and Christian. Indeed, a great man is lost.”

Continuing, Irona commended the Imo State Governor-elect, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha over his decision to immortalize the late federal legislator, describing it as a mark of respect and step in the right direction, even as he urged other public office holders to live exemplary lives in order to be remembered when they are no more.

Uboshe Uboshe/Editor

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Kolade Johnson: Sanwo-Olu visits parents condemns extra-judicial killing - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Lagos State Governor-elect Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has paid condolence visit to the family of the slain Kolade Johnson over the unfortunate death of their son with a promise they will get justice, reports ITREALMS.

Sanwo-Olu who condemned extra judicial killings of any type in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole on Saturday afternoon when he visited the parents of the late Johnson, who was allegedly killed by men of the Anti-cultism unit of the State Police Command said he will work with the security agencies to ensure avoidable death of citizens does not happen again.

The Governor-elect, who prayed for the repose of the deceased described the circumstances leading to his demise as very unfortunate, callous and condemnable.

‘’I think this incident is a wake up call to all that there is need for the police hierarchy to take a second look at the operations of their rank and file. A situation where men and officers of the police and indeed any security organization will willfully cut down the lives of our youths is unacceptable. We should all speak against it. We must all rise against it. The police should realize that they are there to protect the citizens and not to send them to early grave under any guise.’’ Sanwo-Olu said.

Also read: Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat get INEC certificates, reassures on good governance - ITREALMS

Speaking further, the Governor-Elect urged Lagosians to be steadfast in their quest for what is just in the society, pledging that his administration when it comes on stream will work in harmony with the security operatives to ensure that this kind of incident becomes a thing of the past.

‘’I know that the 21st century policing should thrive more on intelligence gathering, tactical operations, which will bring about clinical execution of assignment. With this in mind, our security operatives should adopt modern techniques in fighting crimes so as to reduce incidents of avoidable deaths especially of innocent youths’’. Sanwo-Olu stated.

According to Sanwo-Olu, ‘’it is gratifying to note that the police authorities acted promptly. We read in the news that they have dismissed the officer who allegedly fired the shot that killed Mr. Johnson. This shows to us that we are not living in Banana Republic. We live in a society where justice and equity should be the order of the day.’’

Responding on behalf of the family, Alhaji Oluremi Lukmon who expressed surprise at the visit of Mr. Sanwo-Olu described it as a soothing balm, which the family needs in their moment of grief.

Alhaji Lukmon noted that the death of their son was painful to his family and friends, but it will serve as an eye opener for the country on the need to reorganize how the nation's security operatives, especially the police operate.

He appealed to the Governor-elect to pay special attention to the security of lives of the citizens when he eventually assumes office.

Mr. Sanwo-Olu later joined members of the family and well wishers to offer prayers for the repose of the soul of Kolade Johnson.

Ayo Midele/Editor

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Pix: R-L: Lagos State Governor-elect, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu; condoling with the parents of Late football fan who was killed by Police, Mrs. Dolapo and her husband Alhaji Lukman Remi Johnson, during his visit to the family resident, Mongoro Lagos.

Smile partners HongKong-based NUU Mobile to offer data roaming to 85 countries - ITREALMS

PressRelease@ITREALMS:

In an unprecedented move aimed at further delighting its adventurous customers, innovative broadband company Smile Communications Nigeria (Smile), has signed an international data roaming agreement with NUU Mobile (HKG) Limited reputable Hong Kong- and United-States based company, to offer international data roaming services to its customers.

This partnership, a novelty, will ensure that Smile customers travelling to top destinations in over 85 countries including US, UK, South Africa, Canada, Kenya and many more around the world are empowered to automatically access data services to send and receive e-mails, download and send business documents and much more.

Lotanna Anajemba, Head of Brands and Communications, disclosed that at the consummation of the launch, Smile would be the first in Africa to partner with NUU Mobiles. He further disclosed that only NUU Mobile customers travelling into Nigeria from any country would be able to roam on Smile network. The service is also available for Smile customers travelling internationally with the SmileKonnect device. Through the partnership, Smile will be able to empower its growing number of customers to conduct businesses internationally with ease and convenience.

He explained that for anyone to enjoy this service, the person would have to purchase a special Smile 4GLTE mobile device that will be available at a competitive price across select Smile and partner outlets. He noted that this latest partnership coheres with Smile’s unending quest to offer unbeatable value to its customers.

Anajemba justified his company’s selection of Hong Kong-based NUU Mobile on the ground that unlike other brands that sell at the entry level price range, NUU is a "Certified Google Partner," meaning its phones run on Android software that has been officially tested at certified Google labs.

Some Chinese brands such as Bluboo and Doogee, Anajemba stated, get their Android software from a third party source. He revealed that NUU Mobile has market penetration in the Europe, Middle East and US, with phones available at budget carriers as well as big retailers such as Best Buys and Wal-Mart.

The partnership with NUU Mobile was also premised on attractive data price as customers with the virtual sim technology-driven devices can enjoy Smile data at affordable price. The partnership will also avail Smile customers the Konnect i4GLTE Mifi device as well as the virtual sim technology cum embedded sim. This innovation offers the best in class service delivery and will make Smile the first telecommunications company in Nigeria to launch a virtual sim device. 

NUU Mobile may be a relatively new name in the Nigerian market but it has under its belt a stellar track record. Its services and Products bespeak convenience and superior technology. The company began selling unlocked phones in the US in 2012 with appreciable success. Later on, they expanded their business in India, Europe, Indonesia and Middle East.

Its parent company, Sun Cupid Technology, founded in 1979, has been around for thirty-nine years.
Casting a retrospective look at the company’s humble beginning, Danny Sit, Director of NUU Mobile, recalled that his father, founded the company “back at a time when Hong Kong still had a manufacturing industry,” Said he: "we partnered with a Japanese company and made products for them, which were then sold in Japan and the U.S." Today the company has become a global enterprise and through its partnership with Smile presents a poised delight to Nigerians and all those desirous of maximizing the use of 4G international roaming service.

A multiple award winning firm renowned for its innovative streak, Smile is the first telecommunications firm in Nigeria and indeed in Africa to offer 4G LTE International roaming. Deploying the 4G LTE which is the latest, most advanced and most flexible global technological standard for wireless data communications, presents a big change when compared to older technologies such as 3G. Smile’s network coverage has remained a great delight to its customers. 

*Admin

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Proposed WTO talks to boost e-commerce says Kituyi - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

UNCTAD stands ready to work with developing countries to enhance their preparedness to seize the opportunities of e-commerce should they choose to join proposed talks among World Trade Organization (WTO) members, the organization’s Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi said on 5 April, reports ITREALMS.

“It is a fact that 76 WTO members have launched plurilateral negotiations on trade-related aspects of e-commerce. However, we must ensure that there is a balanced approach that adequately takes into account the needs and considerations of developing countries,” Dr. Kituyi told delegates at the fifth edition of UNCTAD eCommerce Week in Geneva, Switzerland.

Speaking at a session on the expectations for the proposed WTO negotiations – which have sparked diverging views among countries – the UNCTAD chief observed that although 88 WTO members are reluctant to join the process, it’s too late in the day for them to be stuck on whether or not there will be e-commerce talks at the global trade body at all

"I don’t think anyone should fear to negotiate but nobody should negotiate out of fear," Dr. Kituyi said.

He urged countries to prioritize the sustainable development dimension of e-commerce, adding that its main would-be beneficiaries are in the countries that are outside the negotiations, and that their interests should be at the heart of any path forward on the future of rulemaking in e-commerce.

Participants at the session heard various national perspectives on the proposed plurilateral negotiations under the WTO.

Chuks Egbune/DoP

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David Malpass emerges 13th President of World Bank Group - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Executive Directors of the World Bank on Friday, April 5, 2019, unanimously selected David R. Malpass as President of the World Bank Group for a five-year term beginning on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, reports ITREALMS.

The Board, ITREALMS gathered, expressed deep gratitude to Interim President Kristalina Georgieva for her dedication and leadership in recent months.

The Executive Directors followed the selection process agreed in 2011. The process included an open, transparent nomination where any national of the Bank’s membership could be proposed by any Executive Director or Governor through an Executive Director. This was then followed by thorough due diligence and a comprehensive interview of Mr. Malpass by the Executive Directors.

The Board looks forward to working with Mr. Malpass on the implementation of the Forward Look and the capital package agreement as articulated in the Sustainable Financing for Sustainable Development Paper.

Mr. Malpass previously served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs for the United States. As Under Secretary, Mr. Malpass represented the United States in international settings, including the G-7 and G-20 Deputy Finance Ministerial, World Bank-IMF Spring and Annual Meetings, and meetings of the Financial Stability Board, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

In his role as Under Secretary, Mr. Malpass played a crucial role in several major World Bank Group reforms and initiatives, including the recent capital increase for IBRD and IFC. He was also instrumental in advancing the Debt Transparency Initiative, adopted by the World Bank and IMF, to increase public disclosure of debt and thereby reduce the frequency and severity of debt crises.

Prior to becoming Under Secretary, Mr. Malpass was an international economist and founder of a macroeconomics research firm based in New York City. Earlier in his career, Mr. Malpass served as the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Developing Nations and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Latin American Economic Affairs. In these roles, he focused on an array of economic, budget, and foreign policy issues, such as the United States’ involvement in multilateral institutions, including the World Bank.

Mr. Malpass has served on the boards of the Council of the Americas, Economic Club of New York, and the National Committee on US–China Relations. Mr. Malpass earned his bachelor’s degree from Colorado College and his MBA from the University of Denver. He undertook advanced graduate work in international economics at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

The World Bank President is Chair of the Boards of Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). The President is also ex officio Chair of the Boards of Directors of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the Administrative Council of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

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Jim Ovia bags Doctor of Science from UNILAG - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc., Mr. Jim James Ovia (CON) has bagged an Honourary Doctor of Science Degree form the University of Lagos, reports ITREALMS.

The ceremony which held at the 50th Convocation Ceremony of the University of Lagos, saw return off guests and students graced the event.

Born: 4 November 1951 in Agbor,  Ovia a Nigerian businessman founded Zenith Bank plc in 1990.

Married to Mrs Kay Ovia, Jim as fondly called has a Net worth $980 Million at the time of filing this report.

Ovia, an author of some books  including Africa Rise and Shine: How a Nigerian Entrepreneur from Humble Beginnings Grew a Business to $16 Billion.

His education traverses the University of Louisiana at Monroe (1979), Southern University and A&M College (1977), Harvard Business School

*Editor/DoP

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African Geospatial Data and Internet Confab 2019 goes to Ghana - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The African Geospatial Data and Internet Conference (AGDIC2019), has selected Ghana for its three-day hosting of this year's event, reports ITREALMS.

The conference, ITREALMS reports is being hosted by a non-profit organisation with focus on open data access and internet capacity building, the African Open Data and Internet Research Foundation (AODIRF), has been slated for 22-24 October at Accra International Conference Centre.

President & CEO, Africa Open Data and Internet Research Foundation, Wisdom Donkor told ITREALMS that the 2019 conference will be organised in collaboration with National Development Planning Commission Ghana, Ghana Statistical Service, Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN), Geospatial Media and Communications.

Africa, he said, has witnessed a remarkable growth in recent times, emerging as the world’s second fastest growing economy and attracting interest of governments and businesses from around the world.

"With digital transformation changing governance, businesses and daily life at an ever accelerating pace, efficient technology adoption will be the key to leveraging these opportunities. In this digital era, geospatial information will be the game-changer since most planning and development is location based.

"Better understanding and management of digital location-based data and services integrated with other attribute data can enable more efficient resource allocation for better service delivery. With the theme “Shaping Africa’s Digital Future,” the conference will deliberate on integration of geospatial technology with industrial trends such as artificial intelligence, big data, IoT and 5G as an enabler of smart national infrastructure; and demonstrate the impact of technology convergence towards digital economy and society enabling future readiness.

"It will focus on the role and relevance of geospatial information in national development; the business prospects of geospatial information for governments and businesses; the societal, business and consumer benefits of geospatial information; the emerging data-driven business models; and competitive advantage of robust domestic geospatial markets," he said in a press statement made available to ITREALMS.

In addition, Donkor said the conference will bring to the fore the important role of geospatial information in development agendas including Sustainable Development Goals, African Union Agenda 2063; and key development sectors for Africa including agriculture, environment, land management, mining, oil and gas exploration, urban planning, natural resource management, utilities, energy, food security, transportation, climate change, financial services and so on.

"The conference will be attended by diverse geospatial stakeholder - geospatial technology companies, geospatial data providers, national mapping and space agencies, policy makers, system integrators, consultants and project implementers, academia, research institutes, multilateral agencies, industry associations, and non-government organisations, from across Africa. The conference especially encourages women, start-ups, students, and young entrepreneurs and practitioners to participate," he said.

Further, Donkor said this maiden edition of the conference will bring together various stakeholder groups across Africa and the world to set the agenda on Africa’s digital future leveraging geospatial, open data, ICTs and internet technologies in Africa.

"Together and in a bottom-up process, we can connect Africa to the geospatial and Internet world. Completing the lineup of the conference’s programme will be the ever-popular exhibition to showcase state-of-the-art technologies, products and application solutions from leading companies, startups, academic / research institutions, entrepreneurs and other related organizations,” he said.
ITREALMS gathered that African Open Data and Internet Research Foundation is an African based organisation championing open data policies and Internet capacity building, supporting innovative projects and programmes across the continent.

Chuks Egbune/Editor

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SmileKonnect debuts to ease international data roaming for travellers - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Acclaimed leader in data and broadband services, the Smile Communications Nigeria Limited, has unveiled its SmileKonnect to ease international data roaming for travellers, reports ITREALMS.

According to the Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Abdul Hafeez, SmileKonnect is the answer to expensive international data roaming for travelling Nigerians whose figure he put at 2.05m annually.

This, he said in Lagos at the launch that SmileKonnect is a direct response to the hassles of changing their Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) cards whenever they travel outside the shores of the country.

The price of N64 per device of SmileKonnect is relatively affordable when compared to the cost of international data roaming, especially for frequent travellers, stressing that the device comes with 50 GigaBytes (GB) of local data and free 1GB for International roaming data, while it attracts 100 per cent bonus data on recharge, even as customers have free voice minutes.

He also told ITREALMS that with SmileKonnect, customers will have a perfect device for both local and international superfast internet connection with the mobile app available already at AppStore and Google Play.

SmileKonnect introduced with a HongKong-based technology partner, Hafeez equally said comes with some distinct features including that its connectivity is on Long Term Evolution (LTE), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) on 2.4 GegaHertz with battery life of 3900 mAh, insisting that its convenient and could be connected to upto 5 devices.

As said by Hafeez, the SmileKonnect international roaming packages across 85 countries, comprise of 1GB at $8.33, 2GB at $16.66, 1GB at $19.44, 2GB at $33.34 and 5GB at $55.56 on per day validity.

Welcoming guest earlier, the Managing Director, Smile Communication Nigeria, Mr. Geoffrey Efeurhobo told ITREALMS that they sets the tone for expansion of Smile broadband edge based on sufficient quality service delivery.

At Smile, he said, they are always on the lookout for innovative ways of improving the customers’ experience.

The unveiling was graced by delegates from the Association of Licensed Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ALTON) and Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) lead by Engr. Gbenga Adebayo and Mr. Teniola Olusola respectively as well as representatives from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

SmileKonnect, ITREALMS gathered, is available at three African countries including Egypt, Kenya and South Africa while presence is felt at the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and Middle East.

Remmy Nweke/DoP

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Lessons of Nigeria’s elections 2019 - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS:

The lessons of Nigeria’s Elections 2019 to which I refer here are not abstract lessons-in-general or lessons-for-all-time, but concrete lessons that emerged for the use of political forces on the Nigerian Left that see the urgent need of re-dedication to the great cause and arduous task of building people’s power, popular democracy, People’s national unity and socialism in Nigeria. For all tendencies and segments of the Nigerian Left, this four-point platform should be integral, that is, inseparable into its components. And for Marxists, this unbreakable non-linear chain should be a conscious ideological and political choice.

I consider the exercise of drawing strong and usable lessons both necessary and urgent after the tragic, depressing and demoralizing events of February and March 2019—events that we called general elections. But whatever name the events are officially given in the nation’s political history, Elections 2019 was a massive demonstration of decadence, philistinism and neofascism on the part of Nigeria’s ruling class as a ruling class. Beyond this, and of greater importance, Elections 2019 was a call on the Nigerian Left to be more creative and audacious in mobilizing truly progressive forces to save the Nigerian masses from the current vicious circle—trajectory which Nigeria’s ruling class has imposed on the nation. There is simply no other political force in Nigeria that can reprieve Nigeria as a united country.

Aspects of Nigeria’s Elections 2019 from which significant lessons ought to be drawn by the Nigerian Left would include: critical numbers and figures released over the last couple of months—before, during and after the elections themselves—by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); current quality of electoral politics and elections in Nigeria; the array of political forces in the electoral combat; “power of incumbency;” platforms and strategies of the dominant political parties, coalitions and candidates; contradictions between segments of the dominant political parties and the central leaderships and candidates of the parties; the new ethnic or “identity” politics; variants of political mobilization (from popular-democratic, to populist, to neofascist); and reports and conclusions of election observers.

This list is, of course, not exhaustive. The elements are overlapping and have not been listed in any strict logical order. Since each of these elements deserves at least one full essay, what I can do in the remaining part of this particular piece is to continue the introduction to the entire subject.

Also read: As election 2019 draws near - ITREALMS

According to the United Nations and Nigeria’s National Population Council, the population of Nigeria is now about 200 million. The national median age, that is, the age which divides this population into two equal parts—one half above the age, and the other half below it—is about 18 years. This, coincidentally, is the minimum voting age. The implication is that about 100 million Nigerians are of voting age. Of this number, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) told us that about 84 million originally registered for Elections 2019. We were also told that 72.8 million of this number collected their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), while 11.2 million did not. Finally, only about 35 per cent of those that collected their PVCs actually voted in the Presidential and National Assembly elections of February 23, 2019. This was reported to be one of the lowest voter-turnouts in contemporary Africa! The voter turnout was even lower in the Governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections of March 9 and 23.

The two leading ruling class parties—the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)—dominated all levels of the elections, including the presidential contest. And not less than 65 registered political parties participated in the election, including the presidential contest. President Muhammadu Buhari of APC won the presidential contest with 15.11 million votes while Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of PDP, had 11.07 million votes. All the other presidential contestants had relatively insignificant numbers of votes. But this result was by no means a definitive statement on these other candidates or the qualities of their political formations. Whatever their individual weaknesses, as political formations and as candidates, the capitalist social order and the political system adopted by the current set of rulers had cynically, but essentially, excluded them from the electoral competition ab initio. While the electoral system and regulations endorsed this exclusion, the contest as a whole was a confirmation that no serious mistake was made.

The official results of the contests showed that while President Buhari of APC was stronger in Northwestern, Northeastern, Northcentral and Southwestern geopolitical zones, Alhaji Atiku of the PDP was stronger in the South-south and South-east as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. This distribution of electoral strength across the country was roughly repeated at the other levels of the general elections: Senate, House of Representatives, state Governors, state Houses of Assembly and FCT Municipal Government. It is, however, crucial to remember that almost all the results decided and announced by INEC are not only in political dispute but also in legal contestation. Beyond that, it can be safely said that Elections 2019 does not enjoy even a minimum level of public credibility—as a free and fair exercise.

Nigeria’s Elections 2019 cannot just be described, metaphorically, as a “war by some other means.” It was a war literally. However, unlike in modern wars where there are international “rules of engagement” which are binding, enforceable and sanctionable, Elections 2019 was a historical “throwback” in the manner weapons of death and destruction were openly and freely deployed by private political thugs on the one hand and armed agents of the state on the other. In some instances, it was possible to distinguish between the two armed formations—by what they wore: armed agents of the state wore uniforms while thugs were in “mufti.” But in other instances, it was simply impossible to make such distinctions since thugs often wore military uniforms in “battles of deception” while armed agents of the state, for the same reasons of concealment and deception, went to battle in “mufti.” To further confuse the situation, it would appear that in Elections 2019 the power to deploy armed agents of the state was decentralized and devolved not only to lower levels of authority in the armed institutions but also to senior politicians.

Now, let us adopt and re-define the concept of “minimum electoral democracy” or “low-intensity electoral democracy” as follows: We begin by completely ignoring the material conditions of the people (that is, how the masses live and reproduce their material lives). We next allow that any type of campaign message, including outright lies, but short of “hate speeches,” can be delivered to the people without hindrance. Let us furthermore ignore the national literacy level; and finally let us ignore the voter turnout, that is, the fraction of the electorate that comes out to vote. HOWEVER, let us ensure that voters or intending voters are not obstructed or coerced or intimidated at any point in the voting process; that votes are not bought at the polling centres, but can be bought at “safe” distances; that every vote counts and there is no “rigging” at any point in the voting process; and finally that the simple Euclidean rules of arithmetic are obeyed in the examination, counting and collation of votes. THEN it can be said that we have attained “minimum electoral democracy” or “low-intensity electoral democracy.”

The things that are excluded in this descriptive definition are actually among the indices that the political Left, including the Nigerian Left, attaches much weight in the appreciation of electoral democracy. But we can see that even with this exclusion, Elections 2019 shows that Nigeria is far away from electoral democracy of the lowest level.

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

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9mobile refutes reports on 'void sale,' urges for calm - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The management of Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Ltd. (trading as 9mobile) has refuted the news making a round that the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has nullified the sale of EMTS to Teleology Nigeria Limited, reports ITREALMS.

"EMTS hereby states that these news reports are incorrect, misleading, mischievous and a total falsehood," declared the Company Secretary cum Legal Adviser, 9mobile, Ore Olajide in a press statement made available to ITREALMS.

"The Federal High Court, Abuja did not nullify the sale of EMTS; the court on 1st April 2019 made an order for parties to maintain status quo as at April 25, 2018. As at the said date, EMTS (9mobile) was not a party to the suit before the court."

Olajide also pointed out that "the action before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court is not about the sale of EMTS (9mobile) but rather, the transfer of the license even without locus standi."

Further, the Legal adviser said, "EMTS (9mobile) has however appealed the order and also sought an injunction pending appeal at the Court of Appeal. Clarifying the recent reports, Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, 9mobile, Ore Olajide said, “The sale of 9mobile to Teleology Nigeria Limited has not been nullified. The court made an order to maintain status quo as at April 25, 2018 when EMTS was not a party to the suit and we have appealed the ruling as well as sought an injunction pending appeal at the Court of Appeal”.

EMTS equally assured subscribers and all stakeholders to remain calm as matters are under control and "we are working with our team of legal counsels to follow through as deemed necessary."

Insisting that EMTS remain focused on providing best in class telecommunication services to its subscribers and will provide necessary updates in due course.

Remmy Nweke/DoP

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Illicit print supplies: HP, Police seize 28,000 fake products - ITREALMS

Sponsored@ITREALMS:

In February 2019, Nigeria Police official in conjunction with HP Nigeria carried out a massive raid, successfully disrupting the criminal dealings in production and trade of counterfeit HP print cartridges and components. Several premises were targeted as part of the raid, including extensive outlet stores and a hidden manufacturing site for fakes. As a result, the authorities seized over 28,000.

The officials raided multiple premises for fake goods – including retail outlets and hidden storage and manufacturing sites – located in the Abuja, Lagos, Ogun, and Osun regions. In total, the authorities confiscated 28,000 illicit cartridges and components.

Counterfeiting is illegal. For users, such unlawful imitations can cause a multitude of problems including performance and reliability issues. Should your printer break because of using counterfeit ink or toner cartridges, you could also have issues with your manufacturer’s warranty becoming not applicable.

In contrast, original HP products are designed to meet HP’s strict quality and reliability standards, based on a long history of inventing and testing. Original HP LaserJet and HP inkjet cartridges, unlike counterfeits, benefit from superior performance and consistent results.

“HP is proud of its ongoing commitment to prevent and disrupt criminal activity in Africa, working in partnership with local anti-crime authorities to combat the sale of counterfeit print supplies,” said Glenn Jones, Director Global Anti-Counterfeit Programme, HP. “The production of illicit goods harms the local African economy through diverting revenue streams to criminal organisations. We commend both our Anti-Counterfeiting and Fraud team, and the Nigerian Police Authorities, on working together swiftly to remove counterfeit products from the market and bring these criminals to justice.”

Jones disclosed that across EMEA over the last five years, approximately 12 million counterfeits and components have been seized by local authorities, supported by HP. HP has conducted over 5,500 audits and inspections (CPPAs and CDIs) of partners’ stocks or suspicious deliveries for customers.

Through HP’s Anti-Counterfeiting and Fraud (ACF) Programme, the company actively educates its customers and partners to be vigilant against fake print supplies, e.g. with a dedicated website available at www.hp.com/go/anticounterfeit. It also cooperates closely with local and global law enforcement authorities to detect and dismantle illegal operations that produce counterfeit HP-branded print components.

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Johnson Kolade: You're guilty Mr Inspector says Police - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Inspector who purportedly led the team that eventually shot and killed Johnson Kolade on 31 March, 2019 has a case to answer, says the Nigerian Police Force, reports ITREALMS.

The Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Police Command, DSP Bala Elkana in a press statement available to ITREALMS, said that the two Police Officers allegedly involved in the shooting of Johnson Kolade on 31/03/2019 were apprehended and subjected to internal disciplinary proceedings, known as Orderly Room Trial by the Command.

He also said that the trial lasted between Monday 01/04/2019 and Thursday 04/04/2019.

According to the DSP, they were tried on three count charges: (1) Discreditable Conduct (2) Unlawful and Unnecessary Exercise of Authority and (3) Damage to Clothing or Other Articles contrary to Paragraph E (iii), Q (ii) and D (i) First Schedule, Police Act and Regulations, Cap 370 LFN 1990.

The Trial started with the reading of charges and taking of plea. Five witnesses testified.

At the conclusion of the trial, the first defaulter, Inspector Ogunyemi Olalekan was found guilty of Discreditable conduct by acting in a manner prejudicial to discipline and unbecoming of members of the Force by shooting and killing Kolade Johnson; Unlawful and Unnecessary exercise of authority by using unnecessary violence, by using AK 47 rifle on the deceased in total neglect to the provisions of Force Order 237 on the use of Firearms.

The Adjudicating Officer, CSP Indyar Apev awarded the punishment of dismissal from service and prosecution to the First defaulter.

There was no evidence linking the second defaulter, Sergeant Godwin Orji to the shooting, he was therefore found not guilty and discharged and acquitted.

The First defaulter, Inspector Ogunyemi Olalekan is handed over to Criminal Investigation Department, Panti for prosecution in conventional Court.

Ayo Midele/Editor

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NIMC attains global standards in InfoSecurity - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

To ensure the security of data and information obtained from citizens the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has attained the highest global standards for Information Security Management System (ISMS) reports ITREALMS.

as it steps up enrolment and issuance of the National Identification Number (NIN).

The Director-General of NIMC, Engr. Aliyu Aziz, disclosed this to ITREALMS in Abuja, saying it was in line with the Commission’s commitment to security of information and data.

Also read: NIMC opens enrolment centre @NOA hdqters, Omire urges mass participation

“We obtained the ISO/IEC 27001:2013, which is a global information security standard that formally specifies an Information Security Management System (ISMS) to safeguard the data and information obtained from citizens and legal residents in line with global best practices,” he said.

According to Aziz, the ISMS “prescribes a set of best practices that include documentation requirements, divisions of responsibility, availability, access control, security, auditing and corrective as well as preventive measures.”

This, he said would make certain sufficient security of data being collected from citizens and legal residents as the commission gears up to attain 100 per cent enrolment in the on-going efforts to ensure every Nigerian is enrolled and issued the National Identification Number (NIN).

ITREALMS recalled that the mandatory usage of the NIN took effect as at January 1, 2019.

As noted by DG, in this era of rising cyber-attacks, national institutions such as NIMC that hold national data are taking several security precautions to keep their information vault safe. NIMC as the custodian of the most important data in the country, therefore, has taken that a notch higher by embracing the best global practice in data security.

Chuks Egbune/DoP

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5 Things every Domain Name registrant should know about ERRP - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Expired Registration Recovery Policy (ERRP) is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) assistance in ensuring due process in deletion and recovery of any domain. Excerpts:

• The ERRP sets minimum renewal notification requirements for registrars before and after domain names expire, as well as certain requirements for renewal and restoration of expired domain names.
• A link to the full ERRP can be found here: http://www.icann.org/en/resources/registrars/consensus-policies/errp

1. Registrars must send you at least two renewal reminder notices before the domain name expires, one approximately one month prior to expiration and the second approximately one week prior to expiration. If a domain name registration expires and is deleted by the registrar, the registrar must also send at least one additional notice within 5 days after expiration. This notice must include instructions for restoring the registration. All notices are sent to the registrant email address listed in the official contact information of the domain name so make sure your contact information is up-to-date to receive these important notices.
2. Registrars must make their renewal fees, post-expiration renewal fees (if different), and redemption/restore fees reasonably available to you and other prospective registrants at the time of registration of a domain name. At a minimum, these fees must be clearly displayed on the registrar's website and a link to these fees, or the fees themselves must be included in the registrar's registration agreements. Registrars must also ensure that these fees are displayed on their resellers' websites. Registrars may change their fees at any time but must notify you if they do. Be sure to keep your contact info up-to-date so you receive any notices of changes to fees.
3. If the Registrar does not immediately delete the domain name upon expiration, it may offer an Auto Renew Grace Period, a 1-45-day period during which you may renew an expired domain name. This may come at a fee so be sure to read your Registrar's Terms of Service carefully to see if this Period is offered, for how many days, and any fees that might be associated with it. You should be aware that during the auto-renew period, the domain name may be available to third parties for registration, depending on your registrar's terms of service. You may also run the risk of having your domain name auctioned to a third party by your registrar during this period (depending on your terms of service) – yet another reason to be sure you understand your terms of service and always renew your domain name well before it expires.
4. The ERRP requires all generic TLD registries to offer a Redemption Grace Period ("RGP") of 30 days immediately following the deletion of a domain name registration. During this 30-day period, registries are prohibited from transferring the domain name, and must allow the registered name holder of the domain name to restore the domain name registration. If you are the registered name holder of a domain name that has been deleted by your registrar and want to restore your domain name registration during this Period, you can contact your registrar for assistance. Note that your registrar may charge a fee for this service.
5. The ERRP requires registrars to disrupt the domain name's DNS service for up to 8 days before deleting the domain name and registries to do the same during the 30-day Redemption Grace Period. The disruption will cause any services associated with the domain name such as a website or email service to no longer work. This disruption is intended to be a last mechanism to inform you that your domain name has expired so that you can take action if you want.

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Why Facebook CEO went to Dublin - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The chief executive officer of Facebook, Mr. Mark Zuckerberg was on tour of Dublin, Tuesday on a business meeting, reports ITREALMS.

According to him, Ireland is a very important country for Facebook.

"Our international headquarters is in Dublin, we operate a data center in Clonee, and our Oculus team is doing advanced research in Cork," he disclosed.

Further, he explained that spending a in Dublin meeting with members of the Irish Parliament was exciting. 

"We discussed the work Facebook is doing here and important issues around the future of the internet. I appreciated the thoughtful conversation," he said.

Remmy Nweke/DoP

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Liberians demands leadership in corruption fight - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Leading Civil Society Organizations in Liberia [Center for Transparency and Accountability (CENTAL), Institute for Research and Democratic Development (IREDD) and Naymote Partners for Democratic Development (NAYMOTE)] have called on the President, George Weah, to take charge and show leadership in the fight against corruption, reports ITREALMS.

A joint statement made available to ITREALMS, they expressed deep concern over emerging national issues that have the propensity to derail political and economic gains made over the past 13 years.

These concerns range from the management of the Liberian economy, respect for rule of law and the constitution, limited political will to robustly fight corruption as well as the dwindling of civic space for citizen’s participation in the democratic process, and freedom of press and of expression.

“We have keenly followed with dismay the deteriorating rate at which the Liberian Economy has weakened over the past 13 months. For example, the exchange rate between the Liberian Dollar and the United States Dollar is scarily plummeting, the costs of basic commodities have doubled over the past 12 months, despite the decision taken by the government to reduce tariffs on 2,000 commodities in May 2018.

“With the pace at which things are proceeding, if pragmatic steps are not taken by the government to salvage the economy, we are afraid that we would be heading down the slope of hyperinflation. This is making life unbearable for many, especially ordinary Liberians and rural dwellers, many of whom are without jobs and better livelihood opportunities.

“Generally, short-term measures undertaken the CDC-led government, including the '25 million mop of exercise' have not worked, thus leading to perpetuation of the problems. On the other hand, the Liberian Legislature seems to be dragging its/her feet in providing the necessary administrative oversight in helping to resuscitate the economy and improve the governance landscape.

They also commended the government for establishing committees to investigate a number of corruption allegations and scandals, including the national housing authority corruption saga, the alleged 16 billion missing money and the US25 million mop up exercise as well as establishment of the Concession Review committee to review all existing concession from the previous government.

“While we applaud the government for these steps, we are extremely disappointed in the slow pace at which these investigations are proceeding,” CSO declared.

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Mexico inches to restore open government agenda - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Mexican open government agenda may have been restored following series of meetings in recent times, reports ITREALMS.

Giving this insight on behalf of Mexican Open Government Agenda, Juan M. Casanueva of SocialTIC.org, noted that since December 2018 slight hopes of restoring the national agenda emerged with the new administration which took office in December.

ITREALMS gathered that since then, several meetings were held where issues were discussed with a pointer to the key step towards restoring the agenda and starting the construction of a 4th Action Plan.

This, Juan said was in order to co-create public policy that would address the abusive and illegal use of surveillance malware by the Mexican government.

“Today, we have jointly made public say that the Mexican open government agenda has been restored” Juan declared.

Juan revealed that in parallel of the construction of the 4th Action Plan, a collaborative roadmap has been established to co-create public policy regarding illegal government surveillance.

Further, Juan said that the roadmap aims at building public policy on government surveillance some steps, including “Public event to discuss the current international and national state of surveillance and discuss multi-party suggestions on needed public policy - March 26th 2019; Initial draft of a public policy recommendations document - May 2019; Co-creation process and final public policy document and implementation roadmap - August 2019; and Public policy implementations starting August 2019

If real progress is achieved throughout 2019, not only could we consider asking the OGP Standards Committee to stop the current Response Policy but, most importantly, an ambitious open government agenda will be restored in Mexico.”

The civil society core group, expressed optimism that this new administration will have the political will to address the agreements.

They pointed out that in countries like Mexico, that institutional weakness prevails as an enabler of corruption, human rights abuse and inequality, real openness is needed so that adequate polices can become operative and beneficial for its citizens.

“We will continue to work alongside the government when real commitment and security is guaranteed for civil society,” Juan submitted.

Chuks Egbune/Editor

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Shell pays Nigerian govt, agencies $6.397bn - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Over $6.397 billion was paid to the Nigerian government and its agencies in 2018 by Shell exploration and production companies in Nigeria comprising The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), reports ITREALMS.

The payment, ITREALMS gathered, represents a 48 per cent increase over payments by the companies to Nigerian government in 2017 which was $4.322 billion.

The payments formed part of the four documents released on Tuesday by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Dutch Shell, Ben Van Beurden, to signal the global oil giant’s renewed commitment to greater transparency. The documents are: Shell Sustainability Report; Industry Associations Climate Review; Nigeria Briefing Notes; and Payments to Government Report.

“Shell must remain at the forefront of the drive for greater corporate transparency. We will continue to be more open about what we do and why we do it,” said van Beurden. “We want to help people better understand Shell’s performance, values and principles. These reports outline our approach and activities in the crucial areas of sustainability and our relationships with industry associations and governments.”

In the breakdown of the 2018 payments, the Shell companies paid $3.776 billion to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation as production entitlement while $1.286 billion was paid in taxes to the Federal Inland Revenue Service. Another $1.253 went to the Department of Petroleum Resources for royalties and fees, while $81.5 million was remitted to the Niger Delta Development Commission.

Managing Director of SPDC and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor, described the reports as a further testament to Shell’s efforts to increase transparency around activities that are important to investors, governments and civil society. “We are irrevocably committed to transparency just as we are to business integrity part of our core values and central tenets of the Business Principles that govern the way we do business.”

The Shell Nigeria Briefing Notes detail the activities of the Shell Companies in Nigeria for 2018. These include production, environmental performance, social investment, economic contributions, gas initiatives, deepwater operations, security and Nigerian content development.

The Industry Associations Climate Review assesses for the first time Shell’s alignment with 19 key industry associations on climate-related policy. The report also details new governance principles to improve how Shell manages its memberships of industry associations on climate-related topics.

The 22nd edition of the Shell Sustainability Report outlines Shell’s approach to sustainability and covers its social, safety and environmental performance in 2018. It sets out how Shell is playing a role in the transition to a lower-carbon world and its contribution to society, which includes helping to achieve universal access to cleaner, affordable energy.

In addition, Shell published its 2018 Payments to Governments Report covering 34 countries where it has extractive activities.

Remmy Nweke/DoP

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I will not disappoint Lagosians says Sanwo-Olu - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The governor-elect of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reiterated his promise not to betray the trust of Lagosians who voted him and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) into victory in the recent gubernatorial polls in Lagos State, reports ITREALMS.

He made the renewed avowal on Sunday during a Thanksgiving Service organized in his honour by Saint Andrew's Anglican Church, Okepopo, Lagos Island over his victory at the just concluded election.

Exuding deep appreciation to God over the electoral feat, the governor-elect yet concurred that the twenty million-strong Lagos populace expects lofty performance from him in continuation of developmental projects in all areas that have distinguished Lagos as the 'Centre of Excellence".

According to him, "to whom much is given, much more is definitely expected. The twenty million people that voted us in are expecting so much from us and we cannot afford to let them down."

Giving a semblance of a short sermon, Sanwo-Olu admonished the teeming congregation not to lose faith in the efficacy of prayer; adding that even when it seems prayer is tarrying for answer, people should adopt praising, which, Sanwo testified was also very potent in provoking God's speedy answers to hearted, fervent prayers.

Preaching earlier, the Missioner and Bishop of Lagos Anglican Communion, Revd. Humphrey Olumakaiye admonished the governor- elect to uphold the virtue of humility which the cleric noted is a key to opening one's way to the heart of God who honours the humble to the despise of the proud at heart.

Olumakaiye tutored Sanwo-Olu, saying "if you serve the people diligently, selflessly and dedicatedly, they will serve and honour you forever."

At the thanksgiving service with Sanwo were his wife, Claudiana Ibijoke, the deputy governor-elect, Dr. Femi Hamzat and his wife, Oluremi.

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ICANN, IPT seek volunteers on NomCom review - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), together with the Nominating Committee (NomCom) Review Implementation Planning Team (IPT), is seeking volunteers to join the NomCom Review implementation working group, reports ITREALMS.

The results of this working group will impact all of ICANN's community so it is critical that all of ICANN's Supporting Organizations, Advisory Committees, as well as relevant stakeholder groups and constituencies participate.

As requested by the ICANN Board as the 14 March 2019 resolution, the NomCom Review implementation working group will among other things "develop a detailed implementation plan, including appropriate costing, for the 27 recommendations of the NomCom Review, based on the guidelines detailed in the IPT's Feasibility Assessment and Initial Implementation Plan.

Also read: Next ICANN CEO: Can Nigeria fill-in the gap?

The working group will also oversee the implementation of these recommendations, once approved by the Board. The detailed implementation plan, including appropriate implementation costing, shall be submitted to the Board as soon as possible, but no later than six months after approval of the 14 March 2019 Board resolution, that is by 14 September 2019.

The work commitment for this group is anticipated to be no less than two years with calls likely to take place every other week. No travel support will be provided for implementation working group members.

ITREALMS reports that to join the NomCom Review implementation working group, community members are requested to send an email to reviews@icann.org with their request to join.

Just as ITREALMS gathered that the implementation working group's first meeting will take place on Wednesday, 17 April 2019 at 20:00 UTC and volunteers are encouraged to join before this date. 

Chuks Egbune/Editor

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Child Online Safety NG: Stage set for ‘Lets Meet the Parents’ - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

All is now set for the first-ever 'Lets Meet the Parents', a cybersecurity affair being organised by Child Online Safety NG, reports ITREALMS.

Convener of Child Online Safety NG, Mrs. Olamide Odeneye, disclosed that the event is being hosted in partnership with Passion Incubator, Stop-Think-Connect, SOPHOS,  with ITREALMS Media group and Global Education Media Ltd as media partners.

Speakers lineup, she said, includes Olatunji Igbanlajobi, Pamela Ndoro, and Stephen Tate to a name a few.

According to her, ‘Let's meet the parents' would hold this Saturday, April 6, 2019 by 10am at the Hub One, 10 Hughes Street, Alagomeji.

She urged parents to use this opportunity to learn something new about cyber security and how to assist their children in online safety.

Chuks Egbune/DoP

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