INEC lacks transparency in election technology - ITREALMS

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been accused of lacking in election technology transparency, reports ITREALMS.

This accusation was contained in the latest report by the European Union Election Observation Mission for the Nigeria 2023 elections held between 25 February and 18 March this year and available to ITREALMS.

Chef Dammy ‘cooked for fun’ as GWR says 120hr cookathon lacks due process - ITREALMS

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The Oye-Ekiti-based Damilola Adeparusi also known as Chef Dammy, may have wasted her time and resources by cooking for fun for a 120-hour cook-a-thon, which lacked due process, according to the Guinness World Records (GWR), reports ITREALMS.

This follows disclosure by the GWR official that they never received any application from Chef Dammy for the cook-a-thon she embarked on since Friday, 9 June, 2023, as at the time of going to press.

Open Alliance raises alarm over FG's Wolrd Bank $800m loan, says it lacks openness, transparency - ITREALMS

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The Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the auspices of Open Alliance has raised concerns over the $800m loan agreement between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the World Bank, alleging the process lacks openness, transparency and does not mean well for Nigerians, reports ITREALMS.

Open Alliance, ITREALMS recalled, is a coalition of civil society organisations working together to improve openness and accountability in government, has expressed serious concerns over the plan of the Nigerian government to acquire a loan of $800m from the World Bank to distribute through cash transfers to vulnerable and poor Nigerians.

Dele Alake lacks knowledge of NADECO says Ralph Obioha, insists Soyinka never a member, Lloyd Ukwu legitmate - ITREALMS

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Former head of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), North America, Chief Ralph Obioha has refuted claims that Prof. Wole Soyinka was a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and called out Dele Alake for lack of factual knowledge of the pro-democracy body, reports ITREALMS.

Chief Obioha was reacting to the diatribe by Dele Alake who claimed to be a special adviser to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing him as a johnny-just come on the batter of NADECO.

NITDA bill 2022 lacks stakeholders input says NCS, seeks complete withdrawal – ITREALMS

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The umbrella body of Information Technology (IT) professionals in the country, Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has asked the Executive arm of the Federal Government to immediately withdraw the bill before the National Assembly for the amendment of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Act 2007, because it lacks stakeholders input, reports ITREALMS.

This call was made by NCS President, Prof. Adesina Sodiya while reviewing the industry with ITREALMS on Tuesday in Lagos, insisting that the current bill as presented lacks any stakeholder input in entirety, as most of the inputs were merely collated but jettisoned eventually.

Revealed! With 49.7% internet coverage, Nigeria lacks capacity for eTransmission of election results - ITREALMS

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that estimated 49.7 per cent of the national spread lacks internet coverage which will be required for real-time electronic transmission of electoral results, reports ITREALMS.

NCC officials made this disclosure while at the House of Representatives’ Public Hearing over Electronic Transmission of Election Results in the country.

Chinese Virus: Nigerian govt lacks citizens cooperation, blames religious leaders - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Nigerian Government has lamented that citizens are not cooperating at this moment in combating the Chinese virus also known as Coronavirus or Covid-19, reports ITREALMS.

This is coming as the most populous nation on the continent is on the verge of community spread of this scourge.

The Federal Government through the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed gave these indications on Thursday in Abuja, blaming some Nigerians for not complying with relevant government directives at this time, especially religious leaders.

“The government is not getting the kind of cooperation that this moment deserves from Nigerians,” he decried.

In addition, he said some Nigerians defied orders to stay away from large gatherings while some religious leaders willfully flouted the directives to ensure social distancing.

As said by Lai Mohammed, the government is doing its best but Nigerians equally need to do their best as well.

“We need the citizens to do their best too,” he said.

Emphasising that Nigeria has now gone past the stage of persuasion, unto to “time for strong enforcement,” the Minister maintained.

Nigerians, he insisted, need to support the authorities in this regard.

“We are on the verge of reaching the level of community spread,” Lai Mohammed warned.
As at 10:28pm on Thursday, March 26, 2020, ITREALMS gathered that Nigeria has recorded 65 cases across 8 states; 14 new cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in Nigeria: 1 in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 1 in Bauchi and 12 in Lagos.

According to NCDC update available to ITREALMS, “of the 14, 6 were detected on a vessel, 3 are returning travelers and 2 are close contacts of confirmed cases.

Chuks Egbune/Editor

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Northern government lacks commitment to protect children, women - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Stakeholders have decried the fact that governments across all states in the northern part of Nigeria lack the commitment to protect children and women, reports ITREALMS.

This was the highlights of the One-Day Consultative Meeting on Women and Countering Violent Extremism in the North East organised by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) in Abuja with the support of Norwegian Agency for Development and Cooperation (NORAD).

Speaking, a consultant on the matter, Prof. Patricia Donli, lamented that some children in the Northeast have known nothing but violence, explaining that the lack of implementation of relevant laws that protects that protects the rights of children has given rise to varying degrees of abuses.

"Rape cases are on the increase in the North East. We have four cases in Maiduguri IDPs alone last week. Just recently two sisters were raped by a teacher, a little boy was nailed on his head. General hospitals smell so bad because of girls suffering from VVF due to child marriage," Donli said.

She regrets that 11 northern states are yet to domesticate the Child Rights Act (CRA) enacted in 2003 and the VAPP Act and even in states which have, implementations have been very slow due to lack of coordination among actors and political will from government.

Donli urged states government not to see these policies as acts that promotes child rights but see it as policies that will he used to protect their children and place priority on them. She also called for increased awareness on the law among the populace.

Speaking further on the state of violence and conflicts across the country, Donli bemoaned the poor participation of women in Countering Violent Extremism, despite the unique role they play in restoring peace.

She recalled that Nigeria launched its second National Action Plan for the Implementation of UNSC1235 and related resolutions on 9 May 2017, for the period between 2017 and 2020. NAP being one of the most powerful tools governments, multilateral organizations, and civil society have to increase the inclusion of women in politics and peacebuilding, and the protection of women and girls in times of war, was domesticated to State level State Action Plan (SAP) she said.

She however said only four states in the North East has the SAP to include Boronu, Gombe, Yobe, Adamawa. This according to is due to a lack of political will in the part of government.

Donli also noted that the awareness level of SAP is very low hence the need for sensitisation. "even if this places have SAP, the implementation is very poor, you find out that people are not even aware of its existence."

She also highlighted a lack of planned budget as a constraint in the domestication and implementation of the law.

Speaking, the National Coordinator, WANEP-Nigeria, Ms. Bridget Osakwe, regrets that women and girls bear most of the brunt of violence, yet are excluded in the peacebuilding and conflict resolution processes.

Osakwe explained that, in the North East geo-political zone, violent extremism has increased in tenacity from unabated attacks from the violent extremist group Boko Haram.

"Since the inception of this Islamic extremist group in 1995, it has continued to intensify attacks in the North-Eastern States and other parts of Nigeria. Over 40,000 Nigerians have been killed in more than 2,300 incidents reflecting a wide range of ethnic, religious, political and economic tensions across large portions of the country.

"This accounts for almost 40% of the total deaths more than any other source of social violence in the country," she said.

The head of programmes, WANEP, Ms. Patience Obaulo, however informed that the project seeks to promote women’s participation in countering violent extremism to advance the implementation of Nigeria National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 at the local level in North East Nigeria.

She stressed that the role of women relating to countering violent extremism (CVE) is a critical security issue that directly relates to the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and the eight supporting resolutions on Women, Peace and Security, most notably UNSCR 2242 and 2349.


Uju N. Dominic/Editor

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USPF: Nigeria lacks transparency around universal service, access funds

ITREALMS:

Nigeria has been accused of lacking in transparency around the Universal Service and Access Fund, around how these funds are dispersed remains a secret, says the latest research by the United Nations Women, alleging that estimated US$408m is sitting unspent across Africa, reports ITRealms.

The Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) in Nigeria is resident in Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) with an Executive Secretary as its chief executive officer.

Nigeria, ITRealms gathered, is one of only four African countries required to spend its Universal Service and Access Funds (USAF) by the end of the fiscal year.

“However, there is a lack of transparency around how these funds are dispersed,” part of the report read.

Although Nigeria is touted to have 47 per cent of the population online, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU, 2015) while some 36 per cent of women are online, as said by Web Foundation, 2015.

The new research from the Web Foundation, the Alliance for Affordable Internet and UN Women, made available to ITRealms at the 62nd UN Commission on the Status of Women, calls on governments to invest at least 50 per cent of funds collected for expanding connectivity in projects targeting women’s internet access and use.  

With an estimated US$408 million collected to expand internet access throughout Africa sitting dormant in public coffers, the report finds that many African governments are failing to take action to connect women and other offline populations — despite the existence of funds earmarked for this purpose.

The research warned that failure to utilise these funds which is enough to bring 6 million women online, or to provide digital skills training to 16 million women and girls — to expand connectivity to all risks widening global inequality and undermining global development.

Though nearly half the world is online today, close to four billion people remain unconnected. Just 22 per cent of the population in Africa is online, and the continent has the widest gap in internet use between men and women (25 per cent). Universal Service and Access Funds (USAFs) are communal public funds dedicated to expanding internet connectivity and access opportunities for these populations and other underserved communities who are least likely to be connected through market forces alone.

The research entitled, Universal Service and Access Funds: An Untapped Resource to Close the Gender Digital Divide, examines the existence and use of USAFs across Africa, and the extent to which these funds are being put to use to improve internet access and use among women.

Further, the research findings include that a majority of African countries have a USAF in place that is collecting funds, amongst 37 African countries, which amounts to almost 70 per cent have a USAF set up, and 62 per cent of these funds are considered ‘active’.

But, most governments are failing to spend the USAF funds collected. In 2016, USAFs across Africa disbursed just 54% of funds collected. Across all 37 USAFs in Africa, unspent funds total an estimated US$408 million — enough to bring 6 million women online, or to provide digital skills training to 16 million women and girls.

“Few countries are focused on improving women’s internet access and use — despite the worsening digital gender gap. Just three of the 37 countries with USAFs have universal access policies guiding the USAF that explicitly aim to connect women and girls through the fund.

“Most USAF managers do not yet appreciate the importance of investing in solutions to reduce the gender digital divide. Many assume that investment in any internet access solution will equally benefit both men and women, which is unfortunately not the case. 

“Information about USAF financing, programming, and disbursement is hard to find. Just 23 countries openly publish details on their USAF activities; even when they do publish these details, they can be hard to find and hard to understand, leaving citizens little power to hold the USAF to account.”

“Analysis in the report shows that in order to reduce the growing global gender gap in internet use — a gap which is widest in Africa — USAFs should boost investments in programmes that aim specifically to tackle obstacles to internet use and access faced by women.

Commenting on the report’s findings, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Executive Director of UN Women, said that the Universal Service and Access Funds offer an incredible and vastly underutilised opportunity for making real progress; an opportunity that cannot missed.

“Every day that these funds remain unused is another day women and girls are sidelined in the digital revolution. We call on governments to take immediate action to put these funds toward their intended purpose, and to work to make the digital divide history — starting with women and girls,” Mlambo-Ngcuka said.

The Executive Director, Alliance for Affordable Internet and Head of Digital Inclusion Programmes at the Web Foundation, Sonia Jorge, said that they cannot reduce global inequality without closing the digital divide and online gender gap.

“We must act now to stop  the online world from entrenching offline inequalities. We call on governments to make effective and timely use of available funds, and to invest at least 50% of them in projects aimed at bringing more women online,” she said

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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