From ₦20 to Destiny: A Tribute to late Gen Jerry Useni by Osita Chidoka - ITREALMS

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I arrived in Abuja with my friend Jeff Okoli at about 8 p.m. on the last night of NYSC registration. We arrived at Kubwa camp for registration barely two hours before closing time. With just ₦20 in my pocket—my last card, as they say—I stepped into Kubwa camp with a cloud of uncertainty about how I would survive. I looked around the NYSC camp and decided there was no going back. This was my dream, and I had made it this far.

I arrived in Abuja, my dream NYSC location (I was posted to Abuja without any man know man) full of hope. My hope was to be a public servant, and my ambition was to retire as a Permanent Secretary. Fueled by this ambition, I started inquiring about how to join the public service. I learnt that Gen Abacha, then Head of State, had placed an embargo on employment. Undeterred, I made further enquiries and learnt of a small window; the NYSC Award led to automatic employment. 

Saving AFRINIC from itself by Katim Seringe Touray - ITREALMS

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The ongoing legal saga of the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) responsible for allocating Internet addresses, including IPv4 addresses, in Africa is at the nexus of business, technology, the law, and international politics, and efforts to resolve it would have to take these issues into account.

BAT to Nigerians: I'll work hard from day one - ITREALMS

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President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu also known as BAT in the political circle, has promised to hit the ground running from his first day in office in order to deliver on his campaign promises.

Tinubu also reiterated his promise to run a fair and inclusive administration that would unite all Nigerians.

Nigerians, Wake Up From Sleep

WeekendSalvo@ITREALMS:

The maverick entertainer and self-styled area father, Charley Boy coined the phrase, ‘Our Mumu Don Do’ last year. The ideology, according to him, was to galvanize docile Nigerians to rise up from their comfort zone and begin to show more interest in the issues of governance as it affects them. He aired jingles on television and radio and granted several interviews in the newspapers. He and his associates even when on road shows and carried placards to demonstrate against some of the rots in the system! For these he was maligned and bruised, physically and mentally.  Months into that campaign, some may argue that not much have changed.

One may not totally agree with the way and manner Charley Boy goes about his businesses, but one thing you cannot take away from him is the fact that he is bold and courageous. At a time when the morale was at an all-time low, he took the giant step of canvassing for better governance and jolting the presidency even at the risk of his own life and those of his associates. How many of us can do likewise? We complain each day about leadership and yet we do nothing concrete. Can you eat an omelette without first frying an egg? Many of us are not happy with the seeming ineptitude in the system but are just too fearful of doing anything meaningful about it, forgetting that nothing good comes easy.

When you know the truth, then you are free from the shackles of ignorance. Are you passionate about your country? Do you want to see this nation great again? Now is the time for us to wake up from sleep and participate more actively in national affairs. We cannot afford to be lukewarm. There is no better time than this to make the difference. For instance, after over a year of agitation, the government is finally nursing the idea of commencing a sort of ‘restructuring’ the way they deemed it fit. We have always advocated that the process of building our future is a continuum. It cannot be carried out by a single political party in one swoop. All Nigerians have roles and inputs to make as responsible citizens. I want to re-iterate that there is no way the reports of the last confab can just be throw into the bin, all because it was championed by the opposition party. I also have issues with the last administration; but, surely, there are some recommendations in that reports that are very useful to us at this point. Do we really need another committee to fashion out the way forward for us? We are just moving round in circles.

The call for restructuring has been on for some time now. The agitation became so heated last year that the government inaugurated the El-Rufai committee to make recommendations. And now that the committee in its own wisdom has made public its submissions, one wonders how they would be viewed by all, considering that there was no collective bye-in by the major stakeholders like other political parties, civil societies, ethnic nationalities, etc. Would the other groups readily agree to all their submissions? So which is the way forward?

Mediocrity breeds retrogression. Pretence is sheer self-deceit. We all know the problem with Nigeria. Are we honest enough to confront them head-long? Our old brigade politicians know the problems and the solutions. But are they ready and willing to do the needful? Are we ready to compel them to do the needful? No movement, no motion. 

Those who wish well for this nation, beyond selfish interest, know that proper restructuring is the way to go. We will not move forward if we continue to play ethnic and religious cards rather than facing the substance. It is time for us all to be wise and not allow ourselves to be used and dumped like before. It is all about our future, our happiness, our children’s future. 

My fellow countrymen and women rise and be active players in the affairs of your country. Do not just sit and watch. Together we can build a better and truly progressive nation.

*Courtesy: Monsignor Gabriel Osu, is the Director of Communication, Archdiocese of Lagos.

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Akwa-Ibom: From smart city to smart state

MondayCommentary@ITRealms:

First, it is essential to state that Akwa Ibom was the first State in Nigeria to establish and enthrone a State Information (IT) Policy and created a Science and Technology Office at the Cabinet level – represented by a Commissioner. 

True to type, the State has also become the first to appoint a full-fledged ICT professional as SSG. Indeed, the ‘first kid on the block’ concept in contemporary development is not new. Chief Obafemi Awolowo applied it in 1955 when he enthroned ‘Free Education’ in the South-West and Bill Gates of MS and Steve Jobs of Apple PC applied it to fire and light-up the accelerated development of global ICT ecosystem.

It was year 2003 – sitting on the dark windows of a Night Bus to Uyo – I headed into an adventure of the unknown. The mission was to explore the e-Readiness of Akwa Ibom State ICT development. Oblivious of the challenges before me, delighting from the bus on arrival on the early morning the next day, I was welcomed by a refreshing breeze full of rich oxygen engulfed in a distant voice of ‘Welcome to Uyo’. It was at that moment that I realized that my mission was to lay a foundation for ICT as the most strategic imperative for the sustainable development and competitiveness of the State in the very near future.

Today, that future is here – giving us the privilege to look back and advance our evaluation as proof of concept for assessing 21^st Century development and growth at the State level. Before we evaluate the advantages of Akwa Ibom State as one of the very first to establish an IT Policy, let’s look at the future of ICT e-readiness of Akwa Ibom State in view of the current state of things. 

Based on my assessment of the ICT landscape in Akwa Ibom 2016-2018, the state will be one of the most advanced ICT Smart-State in Nigeria and indeed perhaps the first to deploy Robots for Education, Health, State Security, Essential public service, etc for sustainable development (derived from her current advantages of small population of 5.4m, enormous resources and abundant intelligent pioneers with ‘Can-do Sprit’); Readiness for acceleration of robust ICT infrastructure development, with respect to State-wide Broadband Internet access, State of the Art Fibre Optics Network for state security and youth empowerment will unleash monumental innovation beyond basic imagination. 

The State would harness the advantages of Internet of Things and Nano Technologies as diversification strategy of Akwa Ibom economy from Oil & Gas to Information Intelligence resources in preparation for Information Society (IS).

Before other States realize the ICT State of Things in Akwa Ibom, the environment would have propelled the State from the shadows of ‘Smart-City’ to the villa to the metropolis of Smart-States by 2030. This would be actualized by intensifying AI and Machine to Machine (M2M) Solutions strategies and multiply the dividend to her people exponentially. The secret of all these is hidden on the probability that the State government will promote the establishment State Innovation development Fund for Software Engineering Institutes (SDI), Code-accelerator based Education, Innovation Hubs, Critical Local Data centres, ICT Research Centres, etc – leading to position Akwa Ibom as the first destination for ICT Skill Resources and solutions to serve the nation and the ICT-hungry African market.

Today, as we speak, many States  in Nigeria are yet to develop State ICT policy and their ICT development funding mechanisms are at the lowest bottom of the budget ladder.

 Flash back, the same scenario was experienced in 1955, when Chief Obafemi Awolowo established Free-Eduction in the South West Region of Nigeria, while others were asleep – making the South West the current leader in the statistical spread of those who can read, write and educated all through West Africa and beyond. That is not all, the South West ICT agenda of empowering many millions of its citizenry with ICT competence of ‘how to code’ will further put the region many miles ahead of the others in the next decades. That is where Akwa Ibom will stand tall amongst equals in the emerging creative society. The State has done well in ICT spend and investment over the years.

Moving forward with the deserved appointment of Dr, Emmanuel Ekuwem - an exceptional IT Professional and renowned Tele Communications expert as the State Secretary of Government of Akwa Ibom State, the expectations are that Akwa Ibom State will undoubtedly become the first address for ICT knowledge advancement, solutions, services and creative dimensions for the sustainable future.

The current landscape ICT advantage of Akwa-Ibom State was conceptualised in 2003. This established the State Information Technology (IT) and Science and Technology (S&T) Policies respectively. These sets of policy frameworks were aimed at: Creating knowledge and innovation clusters for strategic and sustainable development of the State. Retooling the workforce in readiness for e-Government programs designed to meet the basic and central needs of the State. 

Finetuning leadership and governance operations. Discovering and enthroning new knowledge resources to serve core business–commercialisation activities. Reposition the State’s ICT brand to engage national and International entrepreneurial and innovation culture. Engaging knowledge workers and core Stakeholders to relocate to the State for the real mission of adding sustainable value State development and prosperity.

In the beginning, the central goals include but not limited to the following: Transform Akwa Ibom through ICT. Conceptualize the establishment of Akwa Ibom State’s ICT Policy and premier Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Park as the central Hub and strategic platform for transforming and accelerating the development and advancement of new Knowledge Resources to empower existing start-ups, small and medium scale businesses and industries. Apply R&D to understand and master the secrets behind accelerated ICT, future applications and related Technology development curves in innovation, electronics, advanced materials business and e-Government development. Develop and built new Entrepreneurs and Techno-preneurs Culture.

While wishing Akwa Ibom State well in pursuance of her sustainable ICT mission, there is need to invigorate and apply design-thinking process to accelerate Youth employment through ICT knowledge empowerment and the commercialization of innovative State technologies. Above all, there is need to improve and protect the State’s Critical ICT Infrastructure, business incubation, knowledge coaching, skills development, strategic relationship networks and access to capital.

 For the records, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem shared the vision with professional advice at the founding stage of the State’s IT Policy. Those who were in the line of fire for actualizing the establishment of the foundation of Akwa Ibom State’s ICT vision and mission at the critical stage include but now limited to the followings:  Obong. Victor Attah– First and Former Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State. Dr. Linus Asuqor  First Commissioner for S &T, Chris Uwaje of Connect Technologies as Lead Consultant, Obong. Effangga, former PS of S&T. Prof. Ntuen (Department of Human Machine, North Carolina University, USA, Chief Ebitimi Banigo: Former  Federal Minister for S&T, Prof. Akpan Ekpo , former VC of Uni Uyo, Yinka Tanimowo, Gbenga Sesan as technical support and others too numerous to mention. Time for other States to learn ans share from Akwa Ibom’s ICT strategy and experience.

*Contributed by Chris Uwaje, aka, Oracle of IT industry and former president, Institute of Software Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON).

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