Honours for Uduma, CFA, Hassan @ NiRA Presidential Awards 2016

PR@ITRealms:

The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) recently held a gala and web awards night organised to recognise all those using the .ng domain names.

The event had two sets of awards; the first was the .ng web awards while the other was the Presidential awards. The .ng web awards recognised companies and institutions that have effectively used the .ng domain over the years and have indirectly helped to promote the Nigerian brand online.

The other set of awards were given by the NiRA President to organisations and individuals that have been committed to the development of the ICT industry in Nigeria. Mary Uduma, erstwhile President of NIRA received the special recognition award for her contributions to the growth of the .ng domain name ecosystem. Another recipient, was Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr. (CFA), Presenter, Tech Trends on Channels TV and Founder, Techsmart.ng, who received the NiRA Presidential Award for Youth Development, an award that recognizes and encourages youths with a combination of the best .ng website, best online local content and best use of ICT and finally, Dr. Wunmi Hassan, who was recognised for her role in the advancement of women in technology.

NiRA's ultimate goal is to get more Nigerians to use the .ng domains because Nigeria currently has less than 100,000 .ng domains while South Africa has over 1 million .co.za domains.

Winners of the .ng competitions preceding the gala and awards night also received gifts from NiRA.

 Correspondent/GEE

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Pix: CFA receiving his award form NIRA president, Sunday Folaya and vice president, Muhammed Rudman (2) a cross section of awardees

Recharge Card Sellers and Lagos Traffic Law

 A few days ago, precisely on Thursday, August 2, 2012, Lagos State government passed into Law its Traffic regulations. Meanwhile ban of hawking on Lagos roads have been in existence since. Today, while on my way to the Victoria Island, I saw hawkers including those displaying recharge cards, Gala, wallet, fruit drinks, soft drinks and all manner of snacks, car phone chargers of all sizes, to name a few.

What came to my mind was how much of traffic law does the hawker know about, especially in Lagos. His or her business is at stake and may be running out very soon, because most of those patronizing them, especially for recharge card sellers, will naturally decline due to the latest law on Lagos Traffic, because motorists will avoid them like a plague, except for those who will like to engage the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) in either physical or court battle.

But I am sure most Lagosians are praying against either of the two coming their ways, because which way one look at it, money and time must be spent at the end of the day.

So, back to the hawkers on Lagos roads, who will educate them on this new law, probably to think of another way of engagement for them to remain in business and even eschew hawking as a method of business, after all, Lagos has a ban on it too.

As if someone at Alausa read my thoughts earlier, on my way back at Anthony, men of Lagos State against hawking, I think they call them KIA brigade, but operating on mufti and unbranded Hiace bus; chased some hawkers across the Ikorodu Expressway. Then I began to pray that no vehicle knocks anyone of those down. Luckily we were in go-slow, so people were not speeding, yet some hawkers, like the one that sales bottled fruit juice and soft drinks, he has to throw his basket at the man chasing him for a catch, in order to escape, while those drinks scattered on the ground.

Can someone please suggest another way for some of these hawkers, especially those recharge card sellers, whose livelihood depends on what he gets on daily basis from traffic sessions.

I am still wondering how they know where there is one traffic session or another. Although, that question may form title for another symposium, but have you realized that even traffics get levels and it’s not every traffic that attracts hawkers. 

Feel us in on your thoughts.

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