University strikes: FG inaugurates C'ttee on 2009 agreement

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The Federal Government (FG) on Monday in Abuja inaugurated a 14-man committee chaired by Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN) to end incessant and protracted strikes in Nigerian tertiary institutions, with a declaration that it does not see the unions as an enemy, reports ITRealms.

The committee is expected to re-negotiate the 2009 agreement between government, Academic Staff Union of Universities; Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities; National Association of Academic Technologists and Non-Academic Staff Union of Associated and Allied Institutions.

Members of the committee include Prof. Munzali Jibril, Pro chancellor, Federal University, Lafia; Prof. Nimi Briggs, Pro. Chancellor, Federal University, Lokoja; Senator Gbemisola Saraki, Pro chancellor, Federal University, Otuoke; Arc. Lawrence Ngbale, Pro chancellor, Federal University, Birnin Kebbi; Prince Alex Mbata, Pro chancellor, Imo State University, Owerri and Prof. Olufemi Bamiro, Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun.

While inaugurating the the committee, the Minister of Education, Malami Adamu Adamu, said the re-negotiation team was significant government was committed to keeping to its promise and ensure an environment that is conducive for learning, teaching, research and community service "engendered through lasting industrial harmony."

He encouraged the team to undertake the responsibility with patriotism, dedication, mutual trust and selflessness because the future and stake of the university system will be affected by its successes or otherwise.

"Today’s inauguration kick-starts our drive for re-negotiation across the three segments of the tertiary education sub-sector-universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, starting with universities.. Subsequently, the teams of the re-negotiation with the polytechnics and colleges of education, would be constituted as soon as their respective governing councils are put in place", he said.

"The inauguration of the re-negotiation team is significant as it confirms to the unions that government is committed to keeping its own side of the promise. It wants to ensure that an environment that is conducive for teaching, learning, research and community service is engendered through lasting industrial harmony in all our tertiary institutions.

Babalakin, assured the unions of its commitment towards ensuring that there would be no stalemate between the two parties and pledged that the committee's objective will be in creating a better educational system.

He said, "A conducive environment in the tertiary institution is the bedrock for the development of a nation's intelligentsia. A nation's development can be seriously enhanced by the active participation of the intelligence in the pursuit of the country' developmental goals.

"We also want to assure you that we intend to rise beyond your expectations for the fourth realms of tertiary education‎ in Nigeria. This task should not be underestimated and with the commitment of all, it could provide a serious enhancement for education in Nigeria."

Uj. N. Dom/GEE

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Commonwealth, NEPC professional service export alliance for wealth creation

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The Executive Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, has said that the 2009 Commonwealth Secretariat collaboration with the organization to export professional services was meant to create wealth, generate employment and reduce poverty, ITRealms reports.

“The overreaching goal of the strategy was to contribute to the country’s long- term objective to create wealth, generate employment and reduce poverty as enshrined in Nigeria’s National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy.’’ he said.

He said that Nigeria has substantial potential in non-oil export, especially in the services sub-sector, adding that the service sector was the second largest contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). “Nigeria has huge potential in export of services, such as in the creative industry (Nollywood and music), financial services, and Information Communication Technology (ICT) among others,” he said

Awolowo was speaking in Abuja, Tuesday, during an interactive meeting on the review of the implementation of the National Strategy for the export of professional services in Nigeria ITRealms reports.

According to The Nation’s report, the NEPC boss, said Nigeria is a leading exporter of banking services in West Africa with a strong financial services sector. He said, for instance, that 11 Nigerian banks have established subsidiaries in over 20 sub-Saharan countries; nine out of 11 also have branches in four continents outside of Africa.

He said one of the major challenges for companies in the services sector was access to information about opportunities in and requirements of foreign markets. He said to overcome the challenges, the council would collaborate with the International Trade Centre (ITC) under the Trade in Services Programme (TSP), ITRealms gathered.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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Pix: Mr. Olusegun Awolowo,

Communique of 2009 Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum on Internet Governance - ITREALMS

Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum communiqué forum on Internet Governance, 

Thursday, November 5, 2009,

Golden Gate, Ikoyi-Lagos, Nigeria.

Theme: “Internet Governance: Creating Opportunities for All Nigerians”

We, the participants of the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum held at the Golden Gate Ikoyi-Lagos on “Internet Governance: Creating Opportunities for All Nigerians” on Thursday, November 5, 2009, organized by DigitalSENSE Africa (DSA) an initiative of Remnek Kommunications Ventures (RKV) in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), under the chairmanship of Chief Chima Onyekwere, Executive Chairman, Linkserve Limited.

We call to mind that a harmonized voice within the Nigerian Internet community is critical to the development of Internet in the country and the sub-region and the continent in entirety.

Also, we call to mind that harmonized voice among Nigerian Internet community will provide Nigeria the opportunity to have a united front before confronting the world at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) scheduled to hold in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt between November 15 and 18, 2009.

The forum identified security as a major issue of concern for the Nigerian Internet community.

Additionally, we call to mind that the global Internet Governance Forum afforded the Nigerian Internet community to come together alongside other communities from around the world to ensure optimization of Access, Openness, Security, Diversity and Internet Governance.

Equally, we call to mind that the release recently by the United States’ Affirmation of Commitment to the global internet community via the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN); is a welcome development that could endear the trust of those hitherto not comfortable with the arrangement which began with the US Department of Commerce (DoC).

Hence, in alignment with the outcome of the West African Internet Governance forum, held in Accra-Ghana, especially in the areas of encouraging African countries to take the issues of Internet Governance more seriously by ensuring engagement of stakeholders at IGF level.

Therefore:

1. It was agreed that members of the Nigeria Internet community must be encouraged to participate at the forthcoming Internet Governance Forum and actively too.

2. Make pronouncement with respect to the security of the Internet and discrimination thereof, especially meted out on honest and God fearing Nigerians who are more interested in engaging positively with the world on the Internet.

3. The discrimination against Nigeria’s based Internet Protocol (IP) address should stop because it is negatively affecting the majority of Nigerians who are confidently engaged on the Internet.

4. Both the government of Nigeria and Internet community in the country should strive in enlightening the populace and the world over on the keenness of the majority of Nigerians in deploying Internet for ICT for Development (ICT4D) growth.

5. Nigeria’s Internet Service Providers (ISPs), especially members of the ISPAssociation of Nigeria (ISPAN), Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), should connect without further delay with the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), so as to encourage local internet to remain local, which has multiplier effect, including saving money for both the ISPs and customers – the end-users.

6. Nigeria should canvass for a root server to be located in the country to further push and retain local traffic locally.

7. Also, members of the ISP Association of Nigeria (ISPAN), Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), should ensure compliance by ensuring registration of their domains in the country code Top Level Domains (ccTLD), .ng.

8. This will make the .ng commercially viable and eventually give the ccTLD the need popularity it needed to be feasible among equals.

9. Nigerian participants at the IGF 2009 must ensure that alienation of Nigeria’s IP address (IP blocking) is stopped and that Nigeria has the population to push its desire and voice to be heard in Egypt and at all conferences in relation to Internet and its governance even beyond IGF.

10. There is need to refocus Nigerian youths engaged in online fraud (cybercrime) otherwise known as ‘Yahoo, Yahoo’ by way of granting them amnesty followed with skilled training and adoption into the mainstream, in order to positively utilize their talents.

Enjoining Nigerian stakeholders to:

1. Ensure maximum participation at all times, at Internet Governance related forum.

2. Strengthening the partnership of the forum through collaboration with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agency of government, mostly at the federal level including the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Galaxy Backbone (GBB) Plc, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) among other public private partnership.

The Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum was proudly supported by Galaxy Backbone Plc, MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, iWayAfrica Nigeria, New Horizons Ltd, Omatek Plc, Teledom Group, Telecom Answers Associates (TAA) and endorsed by Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) among others.

DigitalSENSE Africa, November 10, 2009

For full story: ITRealms Online

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