Finalist @Konga shoppers for Knowledge Weekend with Ekeh, Zinox boss - ITREALMS

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Konga, Nigeria’s leading composite e-commerce giant, has unveiled the final list of 12 shoppers selected for the all-expense paid Knowledge Weekend mentorship programme with the Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh.

The exclusive mentorship programme is scheduled to take place this weekend from Friday, February 10 till Sunday, February 12, 2023, with selected guests expectedly hosted to a VIP treatment at a five-star hotel in the heart of Lagos.

10 Konga shoppers confirmed for exclusive weekend mentorship with Ekeh, Zinox boss - ITREALMS

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The battle for places among customers of Konga, Nigeria’s leading composite e-commerce giant, for the all-expense paid Knowledge Weekend mentorship programme with the Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh is set to reach a climax this week, with only two slots left to fill as the ongoing Konga Jara promo ends on Tuesday, January 31, 2023.

Two additional winners – Mr. Soliu Saad who hails from Kwara State and Mrs. Amaka Michael from Enugu State – have been unveiled by the e-commerce giant, thereby taking the number of Konga shoppers confirmed for the exclusive mentorship programme to 10.

Konga Jara: 2 more shoppers claim exclusive mentorship spot with Ekeh, Zinox boss. - ITREALMS

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Two more winners have emerged among shoppers of Konga, Nigeria’s leading composite e-commerce giant, for the highly anticipated all-expense paid Knowledge Weekend programme with the Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh.

The two lucky winners are Mr. Olanrewaju Ogunkunle who hails from Oyo State and Ms. Sharifa Musa, a native of Kano State.

First batch: Jebutu, Emmanuel emerge winners @all-expense paid weekend mentorship programme - ITREALMS

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Konga, Nigeria’s leading composite e-commerce giant, has formally unveiled the first batch of winners for its highly anticipated all-expense paid Knowledge Weekend programme with the Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh.

They are Mrs. Molayo Jebutu and Mr. Joshua Emmanuel, both of whom are frequent and loyal shoppers of Konga.

Shoppers surge for Konga Jara deals, all eyes knowledge weekend with Zinox boss - ITREALMS

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A keen battle is ongoing among customers of Konga, Nigeria’s leading composite e-commerce giant as the competition for places for the free Knowledge Weekend programme with Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh intensifies among Konga Jara shoppers.

An annual festive season sale, Konga Jara offers massive deals, mouthwatering discounts and huge savings for all categories of shoppers but with a difference this year.

12 shoppers @Konga Jara to enjoy all-expenses paid knowledge weekend with Zinox boss - ITREALMS

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Some 12 lucky shoppers are set to enjoy an all-expenses paid weekend mentorship programme with Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh as Konga, Nigeria’s leading composite e-commerce giant flags off its traditional festive season sale – Konga Jara – which offers massive deals, mouthwatering discounts and huge savings for all categories of shoppers with a difference this year.

The 12 beneficiaries will be selected randomly from customers who shopped on any of Konga’s various platforms, including online – www.konga.com and offline in any Konga retail store nationwide or via Konga Bulk, as well as those who purchase their flight tickets on Konga Travel or carry out transactions on KongaPay between December 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023, although shoppers who have a higher frequency or volume of purchases stand a better chance of being selected for the much-anticipated mentorship programme.

12 Konga Kares' apostles loading with free weekend mentorship by Zinox boss, Ekeh - ITREALMS

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A total of 12 Konga Kares' apostles would soon emerge to enjoy free weekend mentorship by the Zinox boss himself, Dr. Leo-Stan Ekeh, reports ITREALMS.

This, ITREALMS gathered is coming as part of efforts to empower budding entrepreneurs with the right business success tips and strategies to create new wealth in the 21st Century.

I never met Benjamin Joseph, my alleged blackmailer says Ekeh, Zinox boss - ITREALMS

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Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh has cautioned contemporary African entrepreneurs to guard against a rising wave of corporate blackmail, even as he disclosed that he has never met one Benjamin Joseph, a fellow Igbo and owner of Citadel Oracle Concepts, a small Ibadan-based retail firm who has been in the news recently as standing prosecution for allegedly falsely accusing Mr. Ekeh and others as well as one of Ekeh’s companies of a N170m fraud.

Ekeh made this submission while addressing participants at the end of his final virtual mentorship project for 2022 with the theme – The Last Card – involving a cross-section of budding African entrepreneurs and post graduate scholars drawn from select foreign universities last Thursday. He had altered the earlier listed case study – “The emerging corporate miracle” to “The Last Card” based on his current experience.

Zinox boss, Ekeh to retire in 2021 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

One of Africa’s leading digital entrepreneur and Chairman, Zinox Group, Dr. Leo-Stan Ekeh may have decided to quit as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the group by 2021, reports ITREALMS.

This hint was gathered by ITREALMS from one of Ekeh's closest confidante that going by his tone at the recent Zinox Group corporate retreat held in April, it is clear he will retire as Group CEO when he turns 65 in 2021.

ITREALMS source who pleaded anonymity, said Ekeh's target is to achieve a tech group worth $10B in valuation by this time and if he realizes it, he intends to change the lives of his devoted employees by making every management staff in the group who has served him loyally a billionaire and others millionaires before retiring into full-time research in the technology sector and social work. 

"This is his ambition and I hope he realizes this, especially considering the turbulent Nigerian economy. This was one of the reasons his group did not retrench any staff during the last economic recession, an unprecedented feat that is highly commendable in view of the gale of retrenchment that greeted the economic downturn," the source disclosed.

Confirming the development, Corporate Communications Advisor, Zinox Group, Mr. Echika Ezuka disclosed that Ekeh’s decision to call time on his stellar career as arguably the continent’s foremost technology entrepreneur is one that was taken after deep consideration, as it would afford him more time to focus on his other humanitarian interests.

Ekeh, who was honoured by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the occasion of Nigeria’s Independence Anniversary on October 1st 2002 for his sustained pioneering efforts in the area of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and as a model for modern Nigerian youths, has been consistent with several technology innovations in Nigeria and beyond.

In addition to pioneering Desktop Publishing and Computer Graphics in Nigeria with his first Company – Task Systems Ltd, Mr. Ekeh also pioneered the deployment of digital dispensing pumps in Nigeria in partnership with Elf Petroleum and Schlumberger, France through his company Stanoil.  He launched the first ICT support Company in Nigeria – ITEC Solutions Ltd. and also pioneered structured ICT Distribution in West Africa with the launch of Technology Distributions Ltd. which has remained the biggest distributors in the West African sub-region.

Renowned for his disruptive business mindset and unerring eye for detail, Ekeh equally enjoys the status of manufacturing the first local and internationally certified computer brand in Sub-Saharan Africa through Zinox Technologies Ltd., manufacturers of Zinox brand of computers and digital devices.

Ekeh is credited with the biometric digital revolution in Nigeria, having delivered the INEC Voters’ registration in 2006 when foreign contractors could not deliver after months of promises. He again supervised the biggest single ICT digital rollout in Africa with INEC in 2010 as well as the largest single e-Library and Wireless cloud rollout project on the continent through one of his companies – Zinox Technologies Ltd.

The serial digital entrepreneur has also been involved with companies such as ICT Brokers, TD Plus, ICT Connect and the launch of Africa’s first ever e-commerce outfit, Buyright Africa. He also recently expanded the Zinox Group with the addition of Konga, Nigeria’s e-commerce giants after acquiring the company from previous majority investors, Naspers and AB Kinnevik. Ekeh also has major interests in a few companies located in other continents including Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Interestingly, Ekeh has also been credited with pioneering paternity leave in Nigeria when he introduced it in his company a few years ago.

He has received over 85 high-profile awards and served on a good number of Federal Government Committees in the last 15 years including the strategic Nigeria Thinkers, Presidential Committee for Job Creation, ICT Roadmap, among many others.

His retirement will come as a surprise to many, especially in view of his very active lifestyle, devotion to healthy living and Spartan discipline which has made him look much younger than his years.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Pix: Dr. Leo-Stan Ekeh, Chairman/CEO, Zinox Group

Zinox boss applauds Keystone, says CashToken is revolutionary

ITREALMS:

The notable serial digital entrepreneur and chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh has applauded Keystone Bank plc, describing its partnership with CeLD to launch CashToken as a move that will go a long way to revolutionize customer loyalty in Nigeria, reports ITRealms.

CashToken is an electronic reward and celebratory gift commodity designed to optimize customer loyalty investments for businesses, individuals and government establishments by offering recipients an opportunity to win life-changing cash rewards between N5000 and N100m every week, among other benefits.

Speaking at the 500 CEOs Hyper Centricity conference which featured the official unveiling of CashToken at the Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday April 19th 2018, Ekeh disclosed that one of the major reasons behind the worrisome unemployment situation in the country was the inability of banks and other financial institutions to explore creative avenues to support start-ups and empower millions of jobless youths.

Ekeh, who was the Chairman on the occasion, noted that he had always referred to himself as a digital orphan, considering the challenges he faced in his attempts to raise funds while starting out as an entrepreneur – a situation which inspired him in working extremely hard to offer himself as a collateral in order to realize his corporate ambitions.

“I commend Keystone Bank and CeLD for the launch of CashToken. It is a solution that will revolutionize the scope of customer loyalty and expand access to funding for SMEs. This is a timely intervention, considering the difficulties faced by start-ups, especially those in the tech sector in raising funds to pursue their dreams. When I started out as a struggling tech entrepreneur, it was very difficult raising funds as the banks did not understand technology back then. They were more interested in extending loans and other credit facilities to oil companies.

“Today, we are in an era in which technology is altering the destiny of most countries in the world. Yet, we still see a situation where our banks are still not willing to give a chance to tech start-ups. I also see the governments giving more concentration to agriculture. There is nothing wrong with that but for these youths to embrace farming, then it must be scientific agriculture. We must understand that today’s youths are digital natives, many of whom are eager to take their place in a knowledge economy driven by equal access to wealth. Tech start-ups are defined by attitude, culture and lifestyle. This is the language of the current generation. Just ask your kids at home what they would like to become in future and see what responses you will get from them.

“I urge other banks to follow in the footsteps of Keystone Bank by giving tech start-ups and other smart youths a chance. If we empower 10 tech start-ups and only two of them succeed, the combined returns from that investment will far exceed anything we hope to derive from any other sector,” he said.

The event which climaxed with the unveiling of the CashToken logo, had a number of technocrats, dignitaries and Chief Executive Officers from major organizations in Corporate Nigeria present. Among these was Managing Director, Keystone Bank, Obeahon Ohiwerei; Founder and CEO, CeLD Innovations, Lai Labode; Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya; Acting GMD/CEO, Heritage Bank Ltd., Jude Monye; Director General, Consumer Protection Council, Tunde Irukera; Director General, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Lanre Gbajabiamila; Group Managing Director, Interswitch, Mitchel Elegbe; Managing Director, CornerStone Insurance, Ganiu Musa; Managing Director, Aiico Multishield Ltd., Dr. Leke Oshuniyi; Enterprise Commercial Lead, Microsoft Nigeria, Wale Olokodana; Executive Secretary, National Lottery Trust Fund, Bello Maigari and Chairman, Obalende-Ikoyi Local Govt Area., Hon Fuad Atanda-Lawal, among others.

Nenye Dom/ED, Ops

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Eke Ukwu demolition: Why Ekeh, Zinox boss donated N50m, sets up disbursing team

ITRealms:

Some cogent reasons have emerged on the motive behind the donation of N50m made by serial technology entrepreneur, and chairman of Zinox Group, Dr. Leo-Stan Ekeh, reports ITRealms.

This is coming as the Leo-Stan Ekeh foundation sets up a team to disburse N50m donation made up of notable indigenes of Imo State.

Investigations by ITRealms showed that Ekeh who is an Owerri native and peace-loving, wanted peace to reign due to losses from demolition of goods and property of citizens.

Ekeh also called on citizens of Imo State to allow peace to reign in the aftermath of the crisis and reported loss of lives which trailed the demolition of the Eke Ukwu market, unarguably the biggest market in the state.

The donation of N50 million, Ekeh explained would be disbursed to those directly affected in the market and families of the victims who unfortunately lost their lives on Saturday. This, he hopes, will help cushion the effects of the demolition on their livelihood and calm the tense situation in Owerri, while also pleading with those affected not to allow themselves to be used to cause trouble in the state.

Confirming this, Head of Leo Stan Ekeh (LSE) Foundation, Mr. Niyi Onabanjo, Ekeh made it clear to the smart implementation committee already set up and headed by a man of integrity, Chief Ambrose Ejiogu, that all those directly affected, by definition, means those trading in the market, whether indigenes of Owerri, Orlu, Okigwe or from neighboring states.

In addition to Chief Ejiogu (Chairman) and Dr. Vin Udokwu (Secretary), other members of the committee are Chief C.Y Amako, Prof. Obioma Iheduru, Chief Emeka Ekwebelem, Mrs. Chuks Ekemaru, Dr. Canice Nwosu, Prof. Henry Njoku, Sam Nwoke and Chief Analyn Nwaneri, among others.

The committee’s mandate is to work with the leadership of the market association in identifying those affected for disbursement of the funds to them. This, he hopes, will be sorted out within two weeks and funds disbursed 21 days from today.

Onabanjo hinted that Ekeh had two months ago awarded a multi-million Naira contract for a comprehensive refurbishment of a Practical Entrepreneurship Centre sited inside a market in Owerri which is slated for commissioning first week of November as a model.

He believes if the model works, the Imo state government may replicate same in other regions for the benefit of her citizens.

“Though a private initiative, I am sure he would have mentioned it to the State Governor. He intends to invite quality multinationals like Microsoft, Google, HP, IBM, Cisco, Facebook etc. to come and inspire Imo State youths so that they can see the bigger picture of the global wealth roadmap. As a promoter of knowledge democracy, he has been quietly assisting his state in the little ways he can.”

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Pix: Dr Leo-Stan Ekeh

E-Voting: A vindication of Zinox boss, Leo-Stan Ekeh

Commentary@ITRealms: 

In what is apparently a justification of the call made months ago by serial digital entrepreneur and Chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, the Senate has amended the Electoral Act of 2010 to legalise the use of smart card readers for the authentication of accredited voters as was done in the 2015 general election.

The amendment to the Act will also pave the way for electronic voting in future elections.

The Senate also empowered the presiding officer at polling units to, in addition to the smart card reader, use any other technological device that may be prescribed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from time to time for the accreditation of voters to verify, confirm or authenticate the genuineness or otherwise of voters’ card.

The passage of the Bill for an Act to Amend the Electoral Act 2010 and for other related matters followed the consideration and adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on INEC on Thursday. The bill, which passed its third reading, also stipulates that votes and recorded results must be transmitted electronically directly from polling units in an encrypted and secured form.

The amendment provides that if for some reason the encrypted data is compromised, the presiding officer would have to rely on the manual collation, which could however be prone to manipulation. Where the encrypted data is safe, it completely supersedes the manual results.

The amendment is also offering a solution to the ambiguity that may occur in the event a candidate dies after the commencement of elections and before the declaration of a winner by INEC, as was the case during the Kogi gubernatorial election.

As far back as May 2016, Ekeh had declared that the time is ripe for Nigeria to deepen its democratic culture through the full deployment of electronic voting during elections.

He had made the call while appearing as the keynote speaker at a retreat organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral and Political Parties Matter held on Friday, May 27th 2016 at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja where he disclosed that with the rapid pace of technological advancements, Nigeria stands to reap a lot of benefits from the deployment of e-voting, stressing that the initiative will go a long way in reducing litigations and strengthening the faith of Nigerians in the electoral process.

In a paper titled - New thoughts, ideas and innovations on use of ICT in elections - Ekeh affirmed that the gains recorded with the use of the card readers in the 2015 general elections goes a long way to show that with the adoption of e-voting, the country will take a huge leap towards sound democratic governance.

“The country is ripe for transition to electronic voting. In your life, there must be a little bit of disruption for you to move forward. With the use of the card readers in the last general elections, we saw a significant reduction in electoral fraud. However, a few challenges still existed as no technology can be said to be 100% perfect.

“A country cannot move forward where the elected leaders who take decisions are not the choice of the people. It’s like running a company and you are a shareholder in that company. If your son is not qualified to lead, you will be destroying that company by manipulating the system to favour that son. So, this was the essence of our submission to INEC on the adoption of electronic voting – that things should be done professionally with your support and that of the entire nation.

“Today, there are about 774 local governments in the country and each one with about 10, 800 polling units, some of which are in the riverine areas. Even if INEC purchases 1000 vehicles, it will still find it difficult logistics-wise to cover all the areas and this leaves the process open to manipulation by emergency contractors as INEC lacks the requisite man-power.

“If finally adopted and implemented, electronic voting will ensure that you now have reasonable infrastructure to handle this. While you have the mobile units and active screens at the polling units, the database of registrants or eligible voters is sitting at the national database of INEC.

“Once a voter’s number is entered at the polling unit, it pulls up the details of the voter from the list of registered voters. Verification will no longer be a problem and during voting, once a voter clicks on the icon of a chosen party, the same information hits the INEC back-end. This will go a long way in reducing litigations as INEC can provide verifiable evidence in court.

“With this technology in place, voters will no longer have to travel back to their wards to cast their votes. Furthermore, INEC can also monitor the entire process easily as each electronic voting device is equipped with a tracker and can be configured to shut down immediately voting ends.”

Tracing the country’s march and transition towards electronic voting, digital ICT entrepreneur Ekeh had also examined the benefits and challenges of the Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines used during the 2007 elections and the painstaking process which eventually culminated in the use of the card readers for the 2015 general elections.

“When Prof. Jega came on board, a decision was made to do a proper data capturing of eligible voters. We started the process and I must thank the National Assembly as they supported us despite being a local company.

“We designed the technology and ended up working for everybody in deploying the Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines nationwide including the 600 servers. These helped promote the concept of one man, one voter card, streamlined the electoral process and also reduced multiple registration, ineligible and under-age registrants – we did a lot of these from the back-end. As a result, we were able to deliver a strong database which reduced arguments and other related issues.

“From there, we moved to the use of card readers. Back then, there were calls for proposals for electronic voting which the National Assembly to a large extent didn’t consider as the country was seen as not ripe to embrace the technology then. Most of the issues encountered with the card readers had to do with the National Assembly and the budget for INEC as well as the late release of funds after election dates had been set, among other disruptions. So, INEC had no time to conduct a mock election using the card readers. I had recommended a regional mock then as this would have helped smoothen the process.”

At the retreat, Ekeh had equally seized the opportunity to urge the National Assembly in the march to transit to e-voting, noting that it would go a long way to foster a more progressive Nigeria.

“I would like to plead with the National Assembly to support INEC in its effort to adopt electronic voting. Until we embrace this disruption, the nation will not move forward in this regard because the government is the decider of the future of the people. If you appoint a CEO who cannot read a balance sheet, it’s impossible for that company to grow. This is the crisis the country is currently facing in the knowledge business,” he had concluded.

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IMSU agog for Yudala Entrepreneurship summit

ITRealms:

… Zinox boss, Ekeh speaks

The Imo State University (IMSU) is now agog as it plays host to Africa’s biggest digital entrepreneur and Chairman of Zinox Group, Dr. Leo-Stan Ekeh, who has been confirmed as the guest speaker to a mega entrepreneurship summit hosted in partnership with its Alumni Association and pioneer composite e-commerce outfit, Yudala, reports ITRealms.

The theme, ITRealms reports, is “The ABC of wealth creation and sustenance in the 21^st Century” while the event has been scheduled for Monday December 12^th 2016 at the Imo State University Auditorium from 10am.

The event will feature the official presentation of YUBOSS – an entrepreneurship and wealth creation scheme set up by Yudala in partnership with Access Bank and Airtel and which has recently received a N1.5BN support from the Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation to generate creative employment and grow future millionaires in Nigeria.

Anticipation is sky-high in Owerri, the Imo State capital for the entrepreneurship workshop, which is expected to grant many attendees a chance to interact first-hand with Ekeh, a native of Imo State and a widely-sought after resource person and motivational speaker.

Ekeh, a renowned digital entrepreneur for over 28 years has successfully built the most integrated Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Group in Africa, with the Zinox Group boasting advanced competencies in the entire spectrum of the sector, ranging from hardware manufacturing, distribution, provision and deployment of critical ICT solutions, after-sales support and retail, among others. Honored by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as an ICON of Hope in 2001 to younger Nigerians for his incisive digital entrepreneurship, Ekeh has earned over 70 local and international awards and 5 Honorary Doctorate Degrees for sustained entrepreneurship.

The event which is expected to draw attendance from entrepreneurs, professionals, unemployed and under-employed youths as well as students from IMSU and other institutions in Imo State such as Federal University of Technology, Owerri; Federal Polytechnic, Nekede and Alvan Ikoku College of Education, among others, will see Ekeh share success tips on street entrepreneurship as well as the secrets of wealth creation and sustenance in the 21^st Century.

With Vice Chancellor, Imo State University, Prof. Victoria Obasi as Chief Host, the occasion will also present a unique opportunity for many attendees to sign up for YUBOSS. The job creation platform has recorded a growing number of participants since it was officially unveiled by Hon. Ministers of Labour/Productivity and Communications, Dr. Chris Ngige and Barr. Adebayo Shittu respectively as part of the Yudala Zero Gravity Contemporary Music Concert hosted by Yudala in Abuja on October 21^st 2016.

Interestingly, Imo State is also set to enjoy a year-end edition of the Yudala Zero Gravity Mega Music Concerts, with plans currently in top gear to bring the popular dual entertainment concerts to the state on December 21^st and 22^nd after successful outings in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu.  

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

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Zinox boss urges Nigerian youths to explore disruptive ICT tools positively

ITRealms:

The Chairman of Zinox Group, Dr. Leo-Stan Ekeh has urged Nigerian to explore their youthful disruption at this era of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) positively, reports ITRealms.

Zinox, ITRealms notes prides itself as the Sub-Saharan Africa’s most integrated Information and Communications Technology (ICT) conglomerate.

Ekeh told participants at the 12^th graduation ceremony of Bridge House College held at the Muson Centre, Onikan - Lagos on Tuesday, June 28^th 2016, that the nation is in dire need of a next generation of digitally advanced, entrepreneurially-minded youth who will question the status quo.

He said at the event which had in attendance the former Deputy Governor, Lagos State, Sarah Adebisi Sosan, the British Deputy High Commissioner, Ray Kyles and Ms. Ngozi Edozien, among others.

Nigeria, he said needs urgently someone who has the capacity to lead the nation out of the woods and urged the graduating students to leverage on the privileged education they had been exposed to at the college in pushing the boundaries, stressing that the second half of the 21^st Century was a pivotal one as it would usher in a lot of changes in the global order.

“Today, you are privileged to be armed with a sound educational background from Bridge House College. Many of us were not as lucky as we barely finished our studies. The quality of education you have received here equips you with common-sense and practical situational references which will aid many of you build successful businesses. It is not available in Europe as their circumstances differ from ours,” he said.

Ekeh who was the chairman of the occasion, also said that the internet has today given every one an open space or a level playing field to create wealth.

He foresees among the graduating students, a generation that has the potential to alter Nigeria’s destiny, pointing out that many of them will achieve in one year what some of the most successful entrepreneurs in his generation took over 30 years to put together.

“You have the exposure, the platforms, the energy and, most importantly, certified intelligence to deliver the new Nigeria mandate of a successful economy. Things are changing in the global system,” he said.

In the second half of the 21^st century, Ekeh reputed for his entrepreneurial acumen in ICT, said it will make more sense to have just one kid, with a nanny earning possibly as much as a medical doctor then.

“It is a reality because the world is transitioning and will reward skill, style and content. For the males among you, you will marry a woman and not keep her as a slave but as an equal partner in progress. And as for the ladies here, I don’t see women who will aspire to become First Ladies but female Presidents.

“I believe so much in Nigeria. Although I have offices in Dubai and other foreign countries in which we retain digital hubs to roll out to other nations of the world that appreciate our capacities, Nigeria still remains the biggest market for us. Many years ago when I returned to the country and encountered the analogue system of publishing, I embarked on the task of transitioning the country from analogue to digital with the introduction of Desktop Publishing and Computer Graphics. Since then, we have continued to transition from one platform to another and it is up to your generation to cause the positive disruption that this country needs to take its rightful place in the global order.”

Counselling the graduating students to step forward with boldness and a mind-sent to make a difference, Ekeh declared his support for those students who are knowledge-hungry as, according to him, everyone in the current century must invent something that adds value to the society and enhance the profile of his or her family.

“You only require quality education like you have started with and humility, and you become a global citizen,” Ekeh advised.

In line with this, multiple award winner and best student in Physics and Biology, Ms. Serena Omo-Lamai was asked to name any laptop of her choice in the world – a device which the Zinox Chairman made a commitment to source and have delivered to her. College Ambassador, Olu Muyiwa Yusuf also received a gift of a laptop from Ekeh for his efforts as the representative of the students.

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Pix: Dr. Leo-Stan Ekeh, Zinox chairman.

Zinox boss tells Reps: Nigeria is ripe for e-Voting

ITRealms:

The Executive Chairman, Zinox Group, Sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest integrated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) conglomerate, Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh has asserted that Nigeria is ripe for electronic voting (e-Voting), reports ITRealms.

Ekeh in a keynote address to the retreat organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral and Political Parties Matter last Friday, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, as part of programme to mark 17th Democracy Day anniversary, insisting that adopt of e-Voting would deepen democratic culture during elections.

The retreat led by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara also has Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Mahmood Yakubu; Senate Committee Chairman on INEC, Senator Abubakar Kyari represented by Senator Abu Gumel; Chairperson of the House Committee on Electoral and Political Parties Matter, Hon. Mrs. Aisha Dukku as well as other distinguished members of the committee.

Ekeh, also disclosed that with the rapid pace of global technological advancements, Nigeria stands to reap a lot of benefits from the deployment of e-voting, stressing that the initiative will go a long way in reducing litigations and strengthening the faith of Nigerians in the electoral process.

In his paper entitled “New thoughts, ideas and innovations on use of ICT in elections” Ekeh affirmed that the gains recorded with the use of the card readers in the 2015 general elections goes a long way to show that with the adoption of e-voting, the country will take a huge leap towards sound democratic governance.

“In your life, there must be a little bit of disruption for you to move forward. The country is ripe for transition to electronic voting. A lot of us are in this business because technology does not lie – it’s either you are right or you are wrong. With the use of the card readers in the last general elections, we saw a significant reduction in electoral fraud and other electoral malpractices. However, a few challenges were also encountered as no technology can be said to be 100 per cent perfect,” Ekeh said.

The Zinox boss equally said that a country cannot move forward where the elected leaders who take decisions are not the choice of the people.

“It’s like running a company and you are a shareholder in that company. If your son is not qualified to lead, you will be destroying that company by manipulating the system to favour that son. So, this was the essence of our submission to INEC on the adoption of electronic voting – that things should be done professionally with your support and that of the entire nation,” he canvassed.

Today, he pointed out, there are about 774 local governments in the country and each one with about 10,800 polling units, some of which are in the riverine areas, stressing that even if INEC purchases 1,000 vehicles, it will still find it difficult logistics-wise to cover all the areas and this leaves the process open to manipulation by emergency contractors as INEC lacks the requisite man-power.

“If finally adopted and implemented, electronic voting will ensure that you now have reasonable infrastructure to handle this. While you have the mobile units and active screens at the polling units, the database of registrants or eligible voters is sitting at the national database of INEC. Once a voter’s number is entered at the polling unit, it pulls up the details of the voter from the list of registered voters,” he said.

For him, verification will no longer be a problem and during voting, once a voter clicks on the icon of a chosen party, the same information hits the INEC back-end.

“This will go a long way in reducing litigations as INEC can provide verifiable evidence in court,” Ekeh advised, emphasizing that with this technology in place, voters will no longer have to travel back to their wards to cast their votes.

INEC on the other hand, he said, could also monitor the entire process easily as each electronic voting device is equipped with a tracker and could be configured to shut down immediately voting ends.

Tracing the country’s march and transition towards electronic voting, the digital ICT entrepreneur examined the benefits and challenges of the Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines used during the 2007 elections and the painstaking process which eventually culminated in the use of the card readers for the 2015 general elections.

“When Prof. Jega came on board, a decision was made to do a proper data capturing of eligible voters. We started the process and I must thank the National Assembly as they supported us despite being a local company. We designed the technology and ended up working for everybody in deploying the Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines nationwide including the 600 servers. These helped promote the concept of one man, one voter card, streamlined the electoral process and also reduced multiple registration, ineligible and under-age registrants – we did a lot of these from the back-end. As a result, we were able to deliver a strong database which reduced arguments and other related issues,” he said.

It is from this point, Ekeh said, Nigeria moved to the use of card readers, underscoring the fact that back then, there were calls for proposals for electronic voting which the National Assembly to a large extent did not consider as the country was seen as not ripe to embrace the technology then, stressing that most of the issues encountered with the card readers had to do with the National Assembly and the budget for INEC as well as the late release of funds after election dates had been set, among other disruptions.

“So, INEC had no time to conduct a mock election using the card readers. I had recommended a regional mock then as this would have helped smoothen the process,” he said, pleading with the National Assembly to support INEC in its effort to adopt electronic voting.

“Until we embrace this disruption, the nation will not move forward in this regard because the government is the decider of the future of the people. If you appoint a CEO who cannot read a balance sheet, it’s impossible for that company to grow. This is the crisis the country is currently facing in the knowledge business,” he submitted.

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