Nigeria doesn’t need applause, but access by Abidemi Adebamiwa - ITREALMS

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The International Monetary Fund has urged Nigeria to revise its ₦54.99 trillionth 2025 budget downward in response to weakening oil revenues. It also recommends continued tight monetary policy and high interest rates until inflation further slows.

These suggestions may appear sound within orthodox economic models, but for most Nigerians, they are a recipe for deeper suffering.

Cyber revolution, applause for Anambra @USTDA - ITREALMS

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Anambra State Government, led by Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, continues to make giant and groundbreaking strides in the realm of technology. In recognition of Anambra's commitment to a digital future, the MD/CEO of Anambra State ICT Agency was selected by the US Consulate Lagos as part of the Reverse Trade Mission (RTM) Delegates on Cybersecurity, underscoring the Soludo's administration's commitment to delivering a digital Anambra, attracting collaborators and global attention.


The MD/CEO of Anambra State ICT Agency, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata (CFA), is part of a 9-man Nigerian delegation invited to the Access Africa: Nigeria and Ghana Financial Sector Cybersecurity Reverse Trade Mission (RTM) organized by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is an independent U.S. government agency that promotes economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. One of its key objectives is to link U.S. businesses to export opportunities by facilitating partnerships and connections with overseas projects. USTDA is organizing the Reverse Trade Mission to foster collaboration between the United States and Nigeria/Ghana in financial sector cybersecurity.

Why FG's applause for Dangote Cement - ITREALMS

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…Minister lauds Cement Plant’s promotion of best practices

The Federal Government has commended the leading roles being played by the Dangote Group to complement government’s efforts to diversify the nation’s economy and the company’s dedication to promotion of best practices in all its operations.

The commendation came even as the Ogun State government said the Dangote Cement is a key driver of the state’s economy with the citing of the continent’s second biggest cement plant in the state.

Applause for NCC @AfricaNXT 2023 - ITREALMS

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), at the opening of the AfricaNext show at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos, Monday, attracted industry commendation for its efficient regulatory processes that have given verve to the realisation of full digital economy in the country.

Chief Executive Officer of CashToken Africa, Mr. Lai Labode, said the manner with which the Commission understands and supports the emergence of companies that have critical roles to play in actualising the dreams of the digital economy, promises that Nigeria will make the desired impact in the future of the country’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development.

'The Letterman' gets applause from Anyaoku, Kukah, Omogui Okauru, Falola - ITREALMS

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A former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Emeka Anyaoku, the Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah and a former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Ifueko Omogui Okauru, have applauded The Letterman: Inside the 'Secret' Letters of former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, a new book by the Editor-in-Chief of PREMIUM TIMES, Musikilu Mojeed.

Commendations have also come for the book from Toyin Falola, renowned professor and the Frances and Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin; Dan Agbese, respected columnist and writer, who was also the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Newswatch, a foremost and trail-blazing investigative magazine; and Kadaria Ahmed, founder/CEO at Radio Now 95.3FM Lagos, television host, and former editor of NEXT newspaper.

Pantami's applause for MDAs under FMoCDE- ITREALMS

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It is was an applause time for all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) under the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, at a recent retreat which ended on April 1, 2022, reports ITREALMS.

This came from the Minister, Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), who commended them for being dedicated to the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, and urged them to work collaboratively and co-ordinately in order to achieve the Federal Government’s strategic objectives as articulated in NDEPS.

‘Nation without well-prepared children is doomed,' applause for ReapVille Schools - ITREALMS Online

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Renowned education consultant, Mr. Daramola Ibukun, has said that value-based education is best for Nigerian children at this era, insisting that a nation without good value and well-prepared children is doomed, and commended ReapVille Schools for imbibing this on its pupils, reports ITRealms.

In a keynote at the first valedictory and prize giving ceremony of ReapVille Schools, Oshodi-Lagos held Friday, entitled “The Future Is Here,” Mr. Ibukun noted it has become a common saying that “… the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow.”

Wondering how long will these young ones be before they are given the opportunities to display and implement the special abilities and grace upon them from the Almighty God, moreso, when the older ones are not giving them the opportunities.

“These special grace and skills are needed to help these children lead our nation and community in the future,” he declared, stressing that “any nation without her younger ones well-prepared to take over from the older ones is definitely doomed.”

He posited that for Nigerian children to make anticipated impact in the society, they must be taught values, culture, norms and ethos of this vibrant generation, because societies are run through the survival of these values to be carried later by these young generation.

Ibukun identified two main classes of change makers in a dynamic society, namely the working class and dependent class, usually made of the aged and the children.

“Operationally, the sustainability of this nation rests in the hands of the working class between the ages of 19 and 60,” he said, pointing out that these factor is linked to the strength and skills already deposited in them as they were growing up.

Values, he said, are coded in form of philosophy and national curriculum approved for use in schools, which are to be taught in form of class subjects in schools.

“They are graded and prescribed so that our children in schools could imbibe the right way of life and also be ready to pass it on to their children,” he said.

Mr. Ibukun gave three classifications for the custodians of these values and cultural heritage, namely the homes, places of worship and the schools.

He maintained that in order to ensure the future is here and children are the future leaders, parents must do their work at home to bring up their children with good manners in line with the society, while the places of worship will help in shaping the spirituality of those children, whereas the schools will assist with the teaching of those values based on structure and curriculum.

In his remarks, chairman of the occasion, Mr. Lawrence Amadi applauded ReapVille Schools for its achievement within a short period, saying that parents have more responsibility in raising their children and by supporting the teachers via the school authorities.

“Our children are ready to learn but the burdens are more on parents, especially by paying school fees promptly,” he urged.

Equally, he gave the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) of the school kudos for always supporting the school and by extension their children and prayed God to give them the grace to continue to provide for their children.

Earlier in her address, the Director, ReapVille School, Mrs. Philomena Ugwuoke recognized that the celebration of the first valedictory ceremony and prize giving day was actually the celebration of the foresight and commitment of parents in the choice of good education for their children.

She promised that ReapVille will ensure that her pupils become great leaders of tomorrow and take charge of their future through imbibing the right values.

ReapVille School, she recollects, commenced operations as a citadel of learning in September 2017 based on the drive and purpose to dedicatedly produce innovative and globally competitive children with high standards, by using effective methodologies in teaching and building up a complete leader, capable of standing out in a crowd.

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

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5G university winners get triple applause

ITREALMS:

The American University of Sharjah students have received triple applause from three leading industry players for demonstrating innovative Fifth Generation (5G) use cases as part of the recently concluded university competition, reports ITRealms.

The three industry leaders, ITRealms gathered, included Etisalat, Intel Corporation and Ericsson.

ITRealms also gathered, the trio of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) giants joined forces in February this year to launch the university competition, targeting engineering students from renowned UAE universities, under the theme of ‘Driving the Future of 5G Innovation’. 

Over 20 teams from the American University of Sharjah, Khalifa University and New York University Abu Dhabi competed to best demonstrate 5G use cases. Five of the 21 teams were shortlisted and invited to present their innovative ideas in front of a prestigious jury of industry executives: Khalifa Al Shamsi, Etisalat Group Chief Strategy & Corporate Governance Officer, Petter Järtby, Head of Etisalat Global Customer Unit at Ericsson, and Taha Khalifa, Sales Director, EMEA Territory at Intel evaluated the shortlisted projects.  

Abdullah Ahmed, Jayroop Ramesh, and Saad Aldeen from the American University of Sharjah won first place after presenting their ground-breaking idea of Decentralized Peer to Peer Mobile Devices Cloud computing using 5G technology.

Runner up position went to students Baleegh Ahmad and Doovaraha Maheswarasarma from NYU Abu Dhabi who proposed a solution based on 5G, augmented reality and robotics to optimize and automate operations in the cargo industry.

Finally, Bashar Al Jabery, Marawan El Bardicy and Mustafa Al Jassim from the American University of Sharjah came in third place with their “Wear Hear” use case around using smart glasses, 5G and Edge computing to help individuals with hearing disabilities better communicate and integrate in the society.

The winners were chosen based on certain parameters including their creativity and innovation, their business case potential, their 5G applicability and the benefit and positive impact on the UAE society.

The winning teams will all receive valuable prizes including internship opportunity in Etisalat or Ericsson as well as a one of its kind enrollment opportunity to a tailor made three-month coaching program from Ericsson Garage, which will be kicked off by a full week trip to Ericsson Stockholm.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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New WTO intellectual property treaty takes off, gets Canadian applause

ITRealms:

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has concluded the first amendment of its Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS), just as the Canadian government has applauded the effort, saying it would provide access to affordable medicines for developing countries, reports ITRealms.

The amendment to the agreement on intellectual property entered into force on January 23, 2017; securing for developing countries a legal pathway to access affordable medicines under WTO rules.

The WTO’s agreements currently are the result of negotiations between the members, known as the 1986–94 Uruguay Round negotiations, which included a major revision of the original General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

ITRealms reports that through these agreements, WTO members operate what experts tagged “a non-discriminatory trading system” that spells out their rights and their obligations with each country receiving guarantees that its exports will be treated fairly and consistently in other countries’ markets, whereas promising to do same for imports into its own market. 

The system also gives developing countries some flexibility in implementing their commitments.

Also, ITRealms gathered that the Intellectual property agreement is the rules for trade in creativity industry, which amounts to rule for trade and investment in ideas and creativity. 

The rules state how copyrights, patents, trademarks, geographical names used to identify products, industrial designs, integrated circuit layout-designs and undisclosed information such as trade secrets, otherwise known as “intellectual property” should be protected when trade is involved.

Reacting to the latest and first amendment of TRIPS, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade, and the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, in a joint statement on behalf of the Canadian government, noted that the entry into force of the World Trade Organization’s amendment to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property is a welcome development.

The agreement, Canada said, will provide a framework for access to affordable medicines for developing countries, stressing that the country would continue to promote a world where people care for one another and to prioritize the health and wellness of the global community.

“Canada is pleased that this WTO amendment is now in force,” they said, explaining that it supports the export of generic versions of patented drugs to developing countries that lack the capacity to manufacture needed medicines themselves.

Millions of people, Canada pointed out, have continued to suffer from treatable conditions such as tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS, as well as other epidemics, because they cannot access life-saving drugs.

With this WTO amendment, Canada said provides countries with another tool to improve access to affordable medicines for those who need it most.

“Canada welcomes this decision and hopes for a swift implementation. This is also significant as it is the first time that a WTO agreement has been amended,” part of the joint statement made available to ITRealms read.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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An applause for revolutionary Dunoma @FAAN

Commentary@ITRealms:

Leadership is as much a question of timing as anything else. A leader must appear on the scene when people are looking for leadership as Mao Tse Tung did in 1931, as Winston Churchill did in 1940 and as Lenin did in 1917, when he comes, he must offer a simple, eloquent message, that is what Engr. Saleh did when he assumed office in 2014 he gave the message “building the institution through selfless service to our fatherland. 

The appointment of Engr. Saleh Dunoma as the Managing Director of FAAN, was the best thing to have happened in the aviation industry. He came on board when the entire Aviation industry was hungry for Transparent Leadership. He is a seasoned administrator, a great simplifier who cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer solution to huge challenges that have beset the aviation industry for years, which today is understood to be a thing of the past, due to emergence of Engr. Dunoma. 

His resilient, doggedness and his leadership style of placing square pegs in square holes has placed the aviation sector on the plinth of greatness through purposeful leadership.

Suffice it to say that the advent of Engr. Dunoma and his agenda for the aviation sector in the last two years have greatly and enormously transform the   aviation industry with glaring evident of facts. 

It is being obvious that the Aviation sector needed a pragmatic helmsman with wealth of experience, to direct its affair which was found in Engr. Dunoma: quality leadership, purposefulness, accountability, truthfulness, humility, tolerance and love forthe industry. 

Over the years, administrative leadership that eluded the aviation sector, but today FAAN has found it in Engr. Dunoma. People can only be led where they want to go, the leader follows, though a step ahead, Engr. Dunoma has demonstrated a leadership that rides waves, move with the tides and understand the deepest yearnings of the entire staff of FAAN. 

Engr. Dumona has shown that aviation sector can grow to meet up with international best practices and standards even in the midst of pessimist, critics and enemies of development. He has achieved giant strides even with little resources at his disposal and has expressed pragmatism in the face of challenges. Engr. Dunoma dignifies our desire, convince us that aviation industry will become the hub for economic advancement which will be to the advantage of the nation.

He has given FAAN a sense of glory and the   Aviation sector at large, it will be a great disservice if Engr. Dumona do not get applause from us as an organization, whose mandate is to evaluate the performance of public office holders to ensure it is in tandem with parameters of transparency, accountability and probity for the overall economic growth and national development.

We the initiative for leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria have resolved to promote openness, and at all times with patriotism, where the people opinion direct the course Justice and fair play in the administrative process of Government institutions. We state unequivocally that Engr. Dunoma has proven to us that he has come to serve Nigerians with outmost desire to revolutionize Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria.

It is against this background, we therefore state with all humility and confidence that Engr. Dunoma is currently reflecting back to us, aviation sense of purpose, putting into words aviation dream and hope by transforming her needs and fears into concrete administrative polices and programmes that are result oriented and which today are evident for all to see.

Courtesy: Ambassador Agbonkpolor is the Executive Director of Initiative for leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria

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