Okere, CWG boss to chair NIGF 2014

ITRealms:

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) plc, Mr. Austin Okere has been named as the chairman of the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum (NIGF) 2014, reports ITRealms.

The chairperson of the Local Multi-stakeholders Advisory Group (LMAG) of the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum, Mrs. Mary Uduma, revealed to ITRealms that Mr. Okere has accepted to preside over this year’s edition to be held on June 10, 2013 at the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) Center, Onikan-Lagos.

She also told ITRealms that, LMAG was excited to have Mr. Okere chair the event as his nomination and acceptance was unanimously endorsed by members which consist of the Ministry of Communication Technology (MCT), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), DigitalSENSE Africa (DSA), Internet Society (ISOC) Nigeria, Rita Talabi Foundation, Creative Technology for Development Initiative (CTDI) and Global Network for Cybersecurity (GNC).

Equally, Mrs. Uduma informed ITRealms that the two-day 2014 NIGF would host its youth workshop on day-1 with focus on “Internet Governance for Job Creation & Social Enterprise Development” to be presided over by an Internet Security Consultant and former D-G of NITDA, Professor Cleopas Angaye.

On the day-2, she explained it would centre on “Harnessing Multi-Stakeholders Framework for Internet Governance & Economic Growth” with discussions led by 2014 forum chairman, Mr. Austin Okere of Computer Warehouse Group Plc on June 10.

She noted that over the years, the Internet has affected the way we live and communicate with one another and it has been a huge contributor to economic development.

“It affects virtually all areas of life such as business, health, education and transport,” she asserted.

Mrs. Uduma further told ITRealms that the strategic importance of the forum is such that participants are drawn from all social and economic groups to have a say, through multi-stakeholders’ dialogue, in establishing local principles and protocols that would guide the governance of the Internet in order to facilitate economic growth in Nigeria.

She pointed out that NIGF 2014 is focused on engaging multi-stakeholder’s nature of the forum to harness and aggregate productive ideas, best practices and experiences towards facilitating an all inclusive framework for internet governance in Nigeria that will actively stimulate economic growth, even as she urged participants’ registration at NIGF website. 

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Photo: Austin Okere of CWG.

Ajayi to preside over NDSF forum on Internet governance

Lanre Ajayi

The recently elected council member of the Generic Name Supporting Organisation (GNSO) at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Mr. Lanre Ajayi is to preside over the 2012 edition of the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Africa forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) slated to hold in Lagos, next month.

 

The Executive Director, Operations at the DigitalSENSE Africa, the organizers of the annual internet stakeholders meet, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke said that its gladdening to note that Mr. Lanre Ajayi would be  chairing this year’s event, scheduled to hold at the Golden Gate Paradise, Ikoyi-Lagos between March, Thursday 8 and Friday 9, 2012, with the theme: Internet Governance and Mobile Economy in Nigeria.

According to her, Mr. Ajayi who was the immediate past president of the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) has proved his love for Internet penetration and positive adaptation in the country since inception of NIG and particularly the forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) being organized by DSA.

She said that Mr. Ajayi in his capacity as the chairman of the 2012 NDSA forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D), would be sharing some insights based on his experiences as an active player in the development of Internet and its penetration in the country.

Additionally, Mrs. Nweke pointed out that the former vice president of Internet Service Providers Association (ISPAN), would further elucidate discussions on what should be expected of his current office as a council member of the Generic Name Supporting Organisation (GNSO) at ICANN.

As said by her, Mr. Ajayi has over time proven he is an encyclopedia of Internet evolution in the country, of which most Nigerians and the Internet community in the country have lot to learn from, especially the youths.

She, therefore urged Nigerians to keep a date with this Internet guru as the nation charts a new course for the Nigeria’s internet development in line with the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) objectives, which this year, she noted will be in Azerbaijan, South Caucasus in September 2012.

She emphasised that the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Africa forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) remains the only annual event which acts as a rallying point for Nigerian internet stakeholders in raising and addressing salient issues concerning the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector with particular reference to the Internet Governance-related issues and development in Nigeria.

The forum, she said, offers stakeholders the needed platform to take a stand and speak out on Internet Governance and accurately align Nigeria’s position into the global Internet Governance Forum and enjoined players in the mobile sector of the economy to take advantage of this year’s theme.

Further, Mrs. Nweke recalled that Mr. Ajayi, has been a director at ISPAN and holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Lagos.

In his acceptance to preside over the 2012 edition of the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Africa forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D).

Ajayi, she said, had worked for the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NiTEL) for 11 years before delving into private practice by the establishment of PiNet Informatics, reputed as one of the nation’s first Internet Service Providers (ISP).

A co-founder of the Nigeria Internet Group, a non-profit organization committed to the promotion of the Internet in the country, Mr. Ajayi has served as the Vice president of ISPAN and vice chairman of African ISP Association (AfrISPA).

Equally, he has served on the council of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), while presiding over the Research and Statistics committee, even as he was ISPAN committee chairman on the implementation of the Nigeria Internet Exchange Point (IXPN) as well as chairman of the Technical Committee on the Nigeria’s Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) name, .ng, to name a few.

Remmy Nweke
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