Join FirstBank's vybes throughout December - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The FirstBank plc has promised customers an enjoyable December season with it vybe, which promotes the growth and development of entertainment genres including music, fashion and arts in the country, reports ITREALMS.

The yearly partnership tagged FirstBankIssaVybe which kicked off in 2018, is designed by the Bank to create an enthralling and enabling experience for Nigerians especially the young ones in the Yuletide season to bond with family and friends, whilst connecting with their favourite superstars.

From the exciting Alternative Sound 4.0, held at Terra Culture on 5 December 2019 to the unforgettable “An Evening with FBNHoldings” held on 13 December, 2019 to the pleasure overload of Island Block Party at Oniru Lagos on 14 December, lucky customers and followers of the Bank’s social media handles were given free tickets to have loads of fun!

Also, in the bouquet of fun extravaganza was Teni - The Billionaire Experience musical concert held at Eko Hotel on Monday, 16 December 2019 which had many customers thrilled to the finest of tunes by the Billionaire crooner and other guest artistes present.

Youth and teenage fashion lovers are not left out; as with Street Souk, they were exposed to the current trends in the world of creativity in the fashion industry. The event held on Wednesday, 18 December 2019. Keen on getting exposed to the best and latest designs, wears and fabrics in fashion, then the African Fashion Week Nigeria would be your port of call. The event, billed for 20 – 21 December 2019 attracts leading players in the fashion industry and promises to deepen the fashion appetite and interest of participants.

On the 27th of December, it would be the turn of Davido’s Good Time Concert to take Centre Stage and provide opportunities for FirstBank customers to win tickets to have a good time this season. FirstBank will then round up the year in grand style with the much anticipated concert with the Future Live in Concert scheduled for 29 December 2019 at the Eko hotel.

On the Bank’s commitment to vybing the society in December, the Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications said “2019 has indeed been a significant year for the FirstBank family being our 125th –anniversary with the celebratory theme ‘Woven into the Fabric of Society’. DecemberIsAVybe is an avenue for us to appreciate our stakeholders for their support by promoting and providing opportunities to grow entertainment industry and empowering young people as jobs are created in this period. It’s an opportunity for those who cannot afford passes to attend key events through giveaways. It is our way of further showing that we are indeed well woven into the fabric of society.”

To win tickets for any of these events, join the conversation ‘#DecemberIsAVybe’ by following FirstBank on any of its respective social media handles; @firstbanknigeria on Instagram; @firstbankngr on twitter and FirstBankofNigeriaLimited on Facebook.

*Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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Lessons from the U.K. Brexit Election - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS:

The U.K. has announced the result of the “Brexit Election”, and Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party won a landslide victory, mostly at the expense of Jeremy Corbyn’s opposition Labour Party.

Listen to their statements after the results; “I will work night and day to repay voters’ trust” … Boris Johnson. “I will not lead the party in any future general election campaign” … Jeremy Corbyn.

Despite the very high stakes in this election, there was no acrimonious stirring of tribal sentiments, nor calls on supporters to protest or reject the results. Rather, leaders on all sides called on their supporters to accept the line in the sand and move forward together. The central message of the winner was – let the healing begin.

Here are the key facts:

· The decision to go for elections in the U.K. was taken in late Oct 2019, but officially kicked off on Nov 06th

· Voting started at 7am on Dec 12th, and stopped by 10pm the same day

· The polls all come in by 8am next day, Dec 13th, except for St. Ives, an island caught in a storm

· The fastest returning record was 45 mins after voting closed

· There was 67% voters’ attendance

· There were no incidents of ballot snatching, violence or deaths as a result of the election

They did not have four years to plan; in fact, they barely had two months, and they had to deal with the exigencies of the attendant “holiday mindset” of the Christmas season; and yet there was no thought of postponement.

What can we learn from the UK elections? Can we replicate this in Nigeria? What do we need to do to make this happen?

I asked these questions on my social media handles and got a myriad of responses ranging from genuine self-introspection to excuses, and even outright justification of the status quo.

It is an unfair comparison of apples and oranges. Comparing a country created in 1536 with a country that was colonised and whose independence was given in 1960 is not a fair comparison; Nigeria needs time! One of them declared. Some others postulated that until we pass into law the electoral reform bill, there will not be elections in 2023.

I don't think the comparison is unfair; technology evens things out. We have to start aspiring towards superior systems instead of wallowing in our status quo, another countered.

If the U.K. is too far from Nigeria in development for a fair comparison, then maybe we should measure our electoral process against our neighbours here in Ghana and assess how we stack up. It cannot be gainsaid that the deliberate policy of free quality education in Ghana is at the root of sustained electoral maturity. The elections are more about developmental manifestos of the candidates than about parochial tribal and religious sentiments.

Even if we compare “apples with apples” with respect to the period since independence, how do you explain that countries like Botswana (1966), Mauritius (1968) and Singapore (1965) who were also colonized and gained independence after Nigeria are doing much better in their political process.

Perhaps the most telling comment was that elections in the U.K. are not do-or-die affairs because there's a limit to what a party can spend, coupled with the fact that the rewards and perks of political office are not way out of proportion to other careers.

Nigeria’s political process seems to be riddled with rigging, violence and deaths. We seem to take one step forward in electoral reforms, followed by two giant leaps backwards. Success at organising elections will certainly boost our standing among nations, and indeed our self-esteem as a people.

While it is pertinent to do an introspection about how we got here, it is more important to focus on how to dig ourselves out of this predicament and our respective parts in the plan; what I call healing “the man in the mirror” to heal society. Credible elections will instill good governance, assure shared prosperity and stem the massive brain drain plaguing our nation. This is certainly not rocket science, or is it?

It will be interesting to hear your views.

*Austin Okere is the Founder of CWG Plc, the largest ICT Company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange & Entrepreneur in Residence at CBS, New York. Austin also serves on the Advisory Board of the Global Business School Network, and on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Innovation and Intrapreneurship. Austin now runs the Ausso Leadership Academy focused on Business and Entrepreneurial Mentorship

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Dotun@50: Buhari joins media pros to celebrate guru - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The Nigerian President, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) has joined the media professionals and associates in celebrating the 50th birthday anniversary of renowned journalist and communication consultant, Dotun Oladipo, reports ITREALMS.

In wishing him long life, good health and more wisdom in projecting the nation, Buhari also felicitated with all friends, family members and professional associates of the journalist, who had served the country for more than 25 years, writing for many platforms, including Newswatch Magazine, Punch, The Sun, before setting up an online medium, The Eagleonline.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu told ITREALMS that as Oladipo turns 50, "the President believes his wealth of experience in journalism and consulting on communication, to both private and public institutions, will go a long way in contributing more to the growth of the nation, noting that communication remains integral and indispensable to development."

In addition, Shehu was quoted as saying that Buhari noted that Nigerians will remember Dotun, as he is fondly called, for his awesome contributions to the growth, and acceptance as part of daily life, of the digital newspaper.

"The President prays that God will bless and take the publisher to greater heights," he said. 

Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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Internet Society Foundation offers $300,000 in grants - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The new set up Internet Society Foundation (ISOCF) has issued its first set of medium and large grants (ranging from $12,000 to USD $30,000 each) to 13 ground-breaking projects that seek to spread the benefits of the Internet around the world, reports ITREALMS.

The Internet Society established the Internet Society Foundation to fund projects that will improve the quality of people’s lives everywhere. The Foundation awards grants to Internet Society Chapters as well as non-profit organizations and individuals dedicated to providing meaningful access to an open, globally connected and trusted Internet for everyone.

Of the more than 40 applications received this year, 13 projects were selected by a committee that evaluated projects based on criteria that included originality and innovation, community impact and sustainability and technical feasibility, among others.

The projects in Africa selected for grants are:

• $30,000 to create Wi-Fi access points and an off-the-grid Media Center within the Mamaila Tribal Authority, South Africa. The project will also build community capacity through training on cybersecurity, content development, entrepreneurship, and the construction, operation and maintenance of community networks. This aims to empower unemployed youth to organize themselves into cooperatives to advance their socio-economic aspirations and expand the planned network infrastructure.
• $12,322 will go towards creating community networks for 5,000 people in three remote farming communities and awareness-raising in Madagascar. The project will also provide technical training and basic Internet skills to a group of people who will train others to use the Internet to capture practical information for their economic development (such as on weather forecasts that can impact harvests and the prices of the agricultural products they sell).
• $30,000 to generate reliable statistical data on Internet use in Mali, in particular on the use/misuse of social media, which has become popular in both rural and urban areas. Most existing data has been produced by telecoms operators, for commercial ends, and results have not been made widely accessible. The results of this project, however, will be widely available through its publication and dissemination.

The Internet Society Foundation provides grants to the Internet community, Internet Society Chapters, non-profits and individuals working on one or more of the following program areas:

• Initiatives that build community capacity to access and benefit from the Internet (including digital literacy skills, reaching unconnected populations, awareness-raising and local content-production);
• Initiatives that respond to natural disasters;
• Opportunities for research across technical, economic and public policy topics;
• Initiatives that demonstrate innovative techniques to advance an Internet for all; and Local and regional projects supported by ISOC’s nearly 140 Chapters Beyond the Net.

The Internet Society Foundation will launch its next call for grant applications in early 2020. 

Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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NSOFT hosts NOTAP DG, as Dan-Azumi pledges more support - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The National Software Think Tank (NSOFT) has hosted the Director-General (DG) of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Dan-Azumi, reports NSOFT hosts NOTAP DG, as Dan-Azumi pledges more support - ITREALMS.

NSOFT also appreciated the DG with an award as a friend of the software industry and development in the country, due to  his foresightedness in setting up the think tank.

This is coming as Dr. Dan-Azumi has pledged more support to ensure progression of software industry in Nigeria.

Speaking at the reception, the Chairman, National Software Think Tank, Chief Chris Uwaje said that this has become necessary, at this time Dr. Dan-Azumi is on his second tenure to encourage him to consolidate on a number of software-related matters and to continue to upscale its promotion too.

NSOFT, he said, was the outcome of the two-day ICT Stakeholders Roundtable on the application and use of software in the financial sector, jointly hosted in Lagos by NOTAP and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) between March 18 through 19, 2019 and was inaugurated

NSOFT, he noted was inaugurated by NOTAP earlier in the year to address some of the critical challenges in the national software ecosystem with the mandate to explore the need for and provide a Five Year - National Software Strategic Plan for consideration.

“It is my pleasure therefore to inform you that NSOFT has completed and submitted the report of the assignment,” he said, congratulated the DG on his reappointment by the Federal Government for the second term as DG. NOTAP.

It is in this regards, Uwaje said, “his passion for the promotion of Local Content with particular reference to software and performances, he was singled out for appreciation.”

In his response, Dr. Dan-Azumi thanked NSOFT for the honour, assuring them that with adequate understanding and support of the industry, more achievement will be recorded before the end of his tenure.

For him, implementation of policy directions is key to successful emancipation of the country from poverty-ranking and technology stands the chance for leapfrogging the nation.

NOTAP, he said, will not take any option than promotion of technologies and intellectual properties of Nigerians

The cocktail, held on courtesy of FINTRACK Software Solutions & UnionSystems attracted topnotch leaders of the industry including President, Digital Bridge Institute, Prof. Mohammed Ajiya, Director of New Media and Information Security at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Engr. Haru Al-Hassan, chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, President of Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Dr. Yale Okeremi, Executive Director, SystemSpecs, Deremi Atanda, Director at NOTAP, Mr. Jonas Nzeagu and the ICT media, among others.

Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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Pix: Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of ALTON, congratulating NOTAP DG Dr Dan-Azumi on his award by NSOFT led by Chief Chris Uwaje

EGOGA maiden reunion attracts Chikwe, Obi, Akeredolu, Ebi - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The former Aviation Minister, Ambassador (Dr) Mrs Kema Chikwe, former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, First Lady of Ondo State, Arabinrin, Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu, and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Ernest Ebi, have been confirmed for the maiden Global Reunion of Egbu Girls Old Girls Association(EGOGA ) in Owerri, Imo State, reports ITREALMS.

The reunion slated for Saturday, December 21st would have most of the aforementioned as special guest speakers for the four-day event, which commences on Thursday, 19 through Sunday 22, December and would feature the inaugural Ms. Winifred Hubbard Lecture. Ms Hubbard is the first Principal of the school. There will also be Gala/Awards Night, a Medical Mission and Thanksgiving Service.

Coordinator for EGOGA, Mrs Ijeoma Enekwa, disclosed this in a press statement made avaialble to ITREALMS, saying that Ambassador Kema Chikwe would chair the inaugural lecture, while Mr. Peter Obi would be the Special Guest of honour, and Arabinrin Betty Akeredolu would equally deliver the keynote address on “Building The Next Generation of Female leaders: The Girl Child Education.”

The session will be moderated by renowned Publisher of The Source Magazine, Dame Comfort Obi. Both The First lady of Ondo State and Dame Obi are old girls of the school.

The Gala/ Awards Night, she said, would be chaired by Mr. Ernest Ebi, while the governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) would be the Special Guest of Honour. Whereas Sir Onyewuchi Asinobi would be the Father of the day with the Rt. Rev Geoffrey Okorafor, the Anglican Bishop of Egbu Diocese as the Chief Host.

Other guests expected at the Reunion activities include the Imo State Governor, The Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha, the MD of Emzor, Dr Stella Okoli, Imo State Commissioner for Education, Hon. Prof. Viola Onwuliri, Chief Leo Stan Eke, Capt. Emmanuel Ihenacho, Hon. Chief Mrs Nkeiru Ibekwe, Rt. Rev, Prof. Emmanuel Iheagwam, former Bishop of Egbu, the Secretary to the Imo State Government, Hon. Uche Onyeagucha, and Hon Reginald Ihebuzor, Imo State Commissioner for budget and planning.

Aside from helping Old school mates reconnect, the reunion is majorly aimed at raising funds to rebuild the dilapidated school infrastructure. 

The Association plans to use this reunion and several others to give back to their Alma Mater which is why the reunion has been tagged “A time to give back”. As part of giving back to the school, four projects would be commissioned during the reunion: a new fence covering the dormitory area, a gate, two sets of six toilet and bath facilities and a kitchen.

ITREALMS recalls that Egbu Girls Secondary School was founded in 1962 as a mission school; it was taken over by government and returned to the Mission in 2010.

Uj. N. Dominic/Editor

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Pix: Kema Chikwe

FG goes for new 5-Year National Broadband Plan - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Federal Government (FG) has proclaimed a new five-year National Broadband Plan (NBP) with a 25-man committee inaugurated, reports ITREALMS.

A press statement to this effect made available to ITREALMS by the Director, Public Affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Henry Nkemadu, quoted Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami as saying that the need to boost broadband penetration from its present coverage of 37.8 per cent to over 70 per cent in the next five years is the pedestal for the new National Broadband Plan (2020-2025).

Also, the Minister said, pervasive broadband penetration will certainly make Nigeria a truly digital economy. He spoke Monday at the inauguration of a 25 member committee in Abuja.

The new NBP 2020 -2025 is sequel to the first NBP 2013 – 2018. The new NBP Committee has Ms. Funke Opeke, Managing Director/CEO of Main One Cable Company Limited, as Chairperson with Dr. Bashir Gwandu as Co-Chairman. Engr.Ubale Maska, the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC as the Secretary to the Committee, he will be supported by four staff of the Ministry in the secretariat.

The Committee is to develop a new National Broadband Plan that will be the guiding template for the development of this very important area of telecommunications.

The Committee is to take a critical look at where we are after painstaking review of the 2013-2018 phase and the status of penetration now. The members are enjoined to also examine the challenges with a view to proffering solutions thereto. They should also look at the position of growing and emerging technologies among others.

The new NBP has the collaboration and support of the United Kingdom (UK) Government.

The inauguration of this new Committee is a follow up to the launch of the National Policy for Digital Economy and Strategy by President Muhammadu Buhari, in November 2019.

The Policy has eight pillars among which are Developmental Regulation, Digital Literacy and Skills, Solid Infrastructure, Service Infrastructure, Digital Services Development and Production, Digital Society Emerging Technologies and Indigenous Content Development.

The Minister told the Committee members to lay emphasis on the third pillar of the National Policy which accommodates broadband and data centre, key components for economic growth, and promotion of digital economy.

The Committee’s work, he explained will address significantly one of the eight pillars and the remaining seven will also run as one of this all important pillar.

“The work of this Committee will go a very long way in supporting the national digital economic policy and strategy for the Federal Government because digital economy is strategically dominating the world economy today.”

According to Pantami, members of the Committee were selected based on their competence, integrity and professionalism. “In all these, Nigeria comes first.”

Ms. Opeke who responded on behalf of the committee thanked the Minister for the opportunity to serve and said the target of the committee is to achieve at least 65-70% broadband penetration across Nigeria in the next five years, adding that the objective is technology neutrality for the right purpose. “ the Minister has set the goal and I am sure the NCC is in agreement,” Ms. Opeke added, saying “ we will look at the work of the last Committee and what was done, the prospects, the challenges that are still there in order to come up with a plan to achieve the set objectives.”

‘‘I believe the objective is achievable with sincerity of purpose and with hard work for these are critical services and infrastructure that we need to bring to all Nigerians and we’re optimistic that we can accomplish that goal. There is work to be done on fixed infrastructure but the reality is mobile technologies are also progressing quite fast to deliver very capable services to people. ‘‘We see what is going on with 5G all over the world, so we will address both at the Committee but I believe our objective is not to favour one technology over another but to figure out how we can get those critical services to many more Nigerians. So, we’ll be a mix of technologies but the objective is not to favour one technology over another or to be prescriptive but the right technology for the right purpose, the most competitive technology that enables us deliver services to all Nigerians,’’ Opeke said.

Earlier in his goodwill message, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta said Broadband Infrastructure remains one of the top priority of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to ensure people around the world have access to equitable and affordable broadband, wherever they are and whatever the circumstances they are in. With adequate broadband infrastructure in place, Danbatta assured that everything else will fall into place. ‘‘The ability to deliver healthcare, best quality education even to generations unborn, ability to streamline transportation, meet up with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ability to transform the economy into a digital one.’’ He pledged the commitment of the Board and Management of NCC, especially in the area of driving the infrastructure that will ensure that critical mass of ICT adoption in use will in time increase the level of broadband penetration in the country.

Besides, Ms. Opeke, Gwandu and Maska, the 25-member Committee also has representatives from the academia, NCC, Galaxy Backbone, MTN , Google, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Defence Space Administration, National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd (NIGCOMSAT), Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), GSM Association among others.

Remmy Nweke/DoP

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Olufuye harps on Internet Governance treaty - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Chief Executive Officer of Kontemporary Computers, Dr. Jimson Olufuye, has advocated for an international treaty on Internet Governance resolutions over the years, so as to drive data governance in the cyberspace, among others, reports ITREALMS.

He made this call while speaking at the just concluded 2019 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Berlin on “Data Governance on the Internet Space, by the Internet Model.”

Why KongaPay dangles ATM card-less - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The continental e-commerce giant, Konga has adduced reasons why its latest in stock ATM card-less solution with KongaPay, is exciting market, reports ITREALMS.

This, industry observers say is another feat with the roll-out of card-less withdrawal and unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) features on its payment platform, KongaPay.

KongaPay is a secured payment platform licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), promises to allow customers to hold funds in escrow, complete peer to peer transfers, purchase digital goods, pay for Digital Satellite Television (DStv) subscription and airtime at discounted rates.

Explaining how the card-less withdrawal feature works, KongaPay Vice President, Joshua Fatoye, stated that the feature allows any account holder to withdraw cash from any Automated Teller Machine (ATM) nationwide, without using any debit card.

“The card-less feature works this way. All the customers are required to do is to sign up on Kongapay.com and ensure that their KongaPay wallet is funded using any of the funding options. Then, the account holders need to log into their wallets via web or app. Then, click on cash out from the wallet, and next on cardless cash out feature and input the amount and the beneficiary mobile number,’’ stated Fatoye.

‘‘By default, the customer’s mobile number will be on display. The customers can, however, input any valid mobile number of any recipient they wish to send money to. The beauty of the process is that the mobile number does not have to be registered on KongaPay wallet.

‘’Next, the customers will then input their personal identification numbers (PINs) and One True Pairings (OTPs) to complete the transaction. Next, the customer who initiates the transaction will receive a message thus: “Your pay code request was successful”, and the beneficiary will get a short message service (SMS) notification with the withdrawal code details,” Fatoye said.

Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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Ismael wins maiden Ikogosi Marathon - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Cross River State-born Sadjo Ismael has merged winner of the maiden edition of the Ikogosi Marathon held last Saturday, reports ITREALMS.

He beats over 2,000 other athletes to the finish line to win the N1 million prize in an impressive time of 30 mins 40seconds.

Sadjo was trailed by Plateau-born Adamu Shehu Mu’azu who came second at 31mins 22seconds, while Oyebode Dada Samuel from Osun State came third at 31mins 48seconds.

The State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who was the Special Guest of honour at the event, presented the winners with their prizes and congratulated all the participants for daring to take part in the epoch making event.

Fayemi said his administration would not only invest in the education and human capital development of the youth, but will continue to partner with relevant private sector players in providing them platforms to showcase their God-given talents.

The overall winner, Sadjo smiled home with #1 Million; the first runner up got a prize of #500,000 while the second runner up got #300,000.

The race which flagged off by the State Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi in Aramoko- Ekiti, headquarters of Ekiti West Local Government at 9:25am.

There were also winners in other categories, including the female elite category where Rose Akuso from Plataeu State came first in 36 mins 51 seconds. She was trailed by David Abiye from Ondo state who came second in 36 mins 59 seconds, while another runner from Plateau State, Oman Sale came third.

They also received N1 Million; N500,000 and N300,000 respectively as their prizes.

In the female Indigene category, Adewole Hannah Jumoke from Ikere Ekiti came first by reaching the finish line in 38 mins 49 seconds. She got N1million.

She was followed by Sehinde Favour (43mins 32 seconds) and Folorunso Fayokemi (44m, 38s), who took the second and third positions respectively.

Others in the indigene category are Abolaji Iyanu, who came fourth in 45m, 74secs; Oduluyi Jumoke who came fifth in 46m,42secs. Ekundayo Olajumoke (47m, 42s), Anyigor Serah (49m, 11s), John Mary (49m, 36s) and Ajeyomi Bukola (49m, 49s).

In the Male Indigene Category, Shedowo Adewale came first at 34mins 51s, while Lawal Azeez came second at 35 mins 16 seconds. Arowolo Tunde came third with 36m, 17secs.

Fourteen years old Dolapo Morakinyo, from Oke Imesi-Ekiti was apparently the youngest participant in the race and was the cynosure of all eyes as she got to the finish line.

No fewer than 10 ambulances manned by health professionals were deployed on the Aramoko-Erinjiyan-Ikogosi route, while the police, officials of the federal Road safety and the state’s Peace corps provided security and crowd control along the route.

Governor Fayemi who said he was excited at the positive attitude of the young men and women that participated in the race, said government would continue to provide incentives to her sports men and women in different sporting activities.

The Ikogosi Marathon race was organised by the Ikogosi Marathon Initiative in partnership with the Ekiti State Government. Over 5,000 registered for the race online, while close to 2,500 collected racing materials which qualified them for the race on Saturday.




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Odetola, 199 others benefit from AfDB's digital skills training - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

As a graduate from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria with a degree in Communication and Language Arts in 2016, Olashile Odetola could not find a job. But an online learning program piloted by the African Development Bank has given her two 'gifts': digital skills and a sense of confidence. Odetola, 31, was one of two thousand students who took part in the ‘Coding for Employment’ digital training programme launched by the African Development Bank in partnership with technology firm Microsoft in April 2019 after successful pilots in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire. 46% of the students have been women. Odetola said the skills she acquired from the coding program have made her more competitive in the job market. She was permitted to attend the training class with kids in tow – and was even nursing her last child. “Never in my life would I have thought that I will have this opportunity. For the first time in my life, I feel confident in myself. I am now working from the comfort of my home in the digital field,”she told a packed auditorium at this year’s African Economic Conference (AEC), held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. After completing the five-week programme, Odetola now works providing annotation and labelling for an online company. “It’s helped me to support the family,” she said. “When I saw this opportunity from the Bank, I jumped at it,” she said. Her testimony drew cheers from scores of hopeful young people who had been invited to attend the conference. Her testimony was an illustration of the Bank’s ‘Jobs for Youth in Africa’ strategy, which aims to create 25 million jobs by 2025 and to equip 50 million African youth with competitive skills. “Jobs for Youth is operational and we seek to create impact. Not just any impact but impact that can be scaled. African youth deserve value -- that is what the African Development Bank and her partners sought to create,” Uyoyo Edosio, program task manager at the African Development Bank, told the conference. “We placed all our bets on the youth and for the first time, the private sector, non-governmental bodies and development institutions like the Bank were not speaking profit margin, we were speaking development,” Edosio said. Overall, the goal is to expand the program to 130 centres of excellence across Africa over a 10-year period. The aim is to create nine million jobs and to empower young people to become innovative players in the digital economy. “This is just one step on that journey to empower our youth in Africa to get the greatest jobs in computer science,” Rich Reynolds, General Manager at Microsoft Philanthropies Strategy, said of the Coding for Employment program. Government ministers from Nigeria, Liberia, South Sudan and Eswatini attending the conference, commended the initiative as a pacesetter in tackling the enormous youth unemployment challenge the continent is grappling with. They outlined policies being pursued in their respective countries to address youth employment. The AEC is hosted by the African Development Bank, in partnership with the United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. This year’s theme was: Jobs, Entrepreneurship, and Capacity Development for African Youth.” *Correspondent/Editor

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*Pix: Olashile

FirstBank appoints Alhaji Ado Wanka as Non-Executive Director - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Nigeria’s premier financial services provider, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, has appointed Alhaji Ado Yakubu Wanka as Non-Executive Director, reports ITREALMS.

Confirming this development, Chief Executive Officer, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, said they were delighted to welcome Alhaji Ado Yakubu Wanka, to the FirstBank Board.

“We are especially excited that he is bringing a combination of complementary skills and rich experience to the table which will no doubt enhance the quality of governance towards meeting our strategic goals,” he said.

Alhaji Ado Yakubu Wanka, ITREALMS recalls, attended Government Secondary School, Bauchi (1966 – 1970), Federal School of Science, Lagos (1971 – 1973), holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1973 – 1977) and an MBA from the same institution (1982 –1984). He is also an alumnus of the Harvard Business School and Switzerland’s Institute of Management Development, Lousanne. Alhaji Wanka served in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as a graduate assistant with the Department of Chemical Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife. Thereafter, he started his managerial career as a young process engineer with Ashaka Cement Company Plc where he rose to the position of Deputy Production Manager

After completion of his MBA degree, Alhaji Wanka acquired further managerial competence during his stay with the Northern Nigeria Development Company (NNDC), Kaduna. During the period, he participated actively in new business development and monitoring of NNDC’s quoted and unquoted investments and left as Principal Investment Executive.

Alhaji Wanka began his banking career in April 1988 with the then Nigerian International Bank (Citibank Nigeria) where he served for six months as Deputy Manager. He was with the FSB International Bank Plc from 1991 to 1997 and rose to become Executive Director. He assumed duty as the MD/CEO of the then Gamji Bank Limited in 1997, moved to First Bank of Nigeria Plc in 1998 as Executive Director, where he spent about eight (8) years. In between his banking career, Alhaji Wanka spent three years in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) - September 1988 to April 1991 - where he was Acting Head, New business Development Unit and later Head, Strategic Planning Unit of the Corporation.

With experience in Corporate and Investment Banking, he served in various capacities in other organisations, most notably as Executive Director, Finance and Administration and also, Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria and Sao Tome Joint Development Authority (an agency which oversees the commercial exploration of mineral resources in the Joint Development Zone covering the overlapping maritime boundary between Nigeria and Sao tome & Principe).

He joined Unity Bank in March 2008 as a Group Executive Director, initially in charge of Retail Banking and later Risk Management & Control Directorates. He retired in August 2013, after serving as the Bank’s Managing Director for two (2) years.

Wanka is currently the Chairman, APT Securities and Funds, APT Pension Fund Managers and Director, Arewa Metal Containers (ARMECO) Ltd.

In addition, Wanka is a fellow of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN); Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) (NIM); Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (NSCHE); Institute of Chartered Management Accountants (ICMA) and Institute of Credit Administration (ICA). He is also an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Chemical Society and a member of the Institute of Directors (IoD).

Remmy Nweke/DoP

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Bayelsa polls: Fear grips APC over Appeal Court judgment - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa reportedly went into panic mode following last Friday's proceeding at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal in the case concerning Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, reports ITREALMS.

Degi-Eremienyo who is the Deputy Governor-Elect was disqualified few days to the November 16 Governorship Election for presenting false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and lying under oath.

When the matter came up, the legal team of the PDP argued that the admission by Senator Degi that there were mistakes in his educational qualification holds no water as he had ample time to write to the institutions involved to effect the necessary corrections.

According to them, the provisions of Sections 186 and 187 of the 1999 Constitution which provides for the office of Deputy Governor of a State and further provides that in the absence of a Deputy Governorship candidate the nomination of a Governorship candidate becomes invalid is what the Court of Appeal is invited to apply in the case.

After the cross fire by counsel to both parties, the court adjourned the case and reserved the matter for judgement, with the date to be duly communicated.

In the trial Court, Sir Friday Nwosu had stated that it is only a woman who has been married and divorced multiple times that should have such discrepancies in her certificate and not a man.

The APC had hurriedly obtained a Stay of Execution which compelled INEC to include them in the ballot for the November 16th Governorship Election.

Uboshe Uboshe/Editor

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Centre LSD project on male engagement over GBV kicksoff- ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), has commenced the implementation of a male engagement project for the reduction of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights (SRHR), and Harmful Traditional Practices in Nigeria, reports ITREALMS.

The programme, ITREALMS gathered is an initiative of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) under the Spotlight Initiative, envisioned a Nigeria where all women and girls, particularly the most vulnerable, live a life free from violence and harmful practices, by addressing the linkages between sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices with related aspects of sexual and reproductive health and rights as a cross-cutting theme.

The project lead, Mr. Vincent Dania, Centre LSD, told ITREALMS the focus will be on prevention efforts particularly addressing the root causes of gender-based violence and harmful practices (child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation) against women and girls; and ensuring access to inclusive, timely, and quality services for victims and survivors with a vibrant CSOs and women movement.

“The Centre will work with other implementing partners to achieve the goal of the Spotlight Initiative in Nigeria,” he said.

The Centre’s role in the project, he said, would include “Mobilizing men and setting up platforms of men against Sexual & Gender-Based Violence at the community level; strengthening the capacities of identified traditional, religious leaders and media. It will also identify and train male advocates and champions at different levels (community, state and national) to continuously speak up against Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG); engaging male opinion leaders to secure support for VAWG, gender equality and the empowerment of women; and train women and girls’ rights defenders in relevant skills to better engage with religious leaders to end VAWG and HP.”

Further, ITREALMS gathered the Centre LSD will be implementing the project in two states, namely Lagos and Cross River.

Uboshe Uboshe/Editor

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Mr Maradona 'IBB' not dead says Afegbua - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The former President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) retired, is alive says his spokesman, Prince Kassim Afegbua, reports ITREALMS.

In a press statement made available to ITREALMS, Afegbua said it has become consistent fake news for quite some time now wishing "our own IBB, the one we easily refer to as 'the last don' of Nigeria politics, dead."

According to Prince Afegbua, the “fake news bill” would be a suitable response to this category of fake news carrier. 

IBB fondly called 'Maradona' in the political circle in Nigeria, he said,  is very much alive and bubbling. 

"He just started attending to friends and associates who came to see him today, Sunday, 15th December, 2019 right here at his Minna Hilltop mansion. He is full of life and in his characteristic bubbling mood.

"May Allah forgive those who wish IBB dead. God is the giver and taker of life, not humans. Death, as the irrevocable end of all creation, will surely come to everyone some day and at the appointed time and hour, but to deliberately spread fake news and wish someone dead, is to take humanity to another bizarre level.

"May Allah forgive them. IBB, by the special grace of Allah, the omniscient and omnipotent One, shall live to fulfill his journey and destiny in life, to the consternation of those who are always wishing him dead. This is about the third time this year.

"We wish to thank those who took time to reach out to us, home and abroad, to find out the truth. We thank you all for your love, care and concern. May Allah grant us all good health, sound mind and long life. Amin."


Uboshe Uboshe/Editor

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