HAI urges US: Nigeria needs collaboration, not confrontation over CPC classification - ITREALMS

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A civil society group, the Hope Alive Initiative (HAI), has called on the United States Government to immediately adopt a stance of collaboration instead of confrontation, following the US classification of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ (CPC), reports ITREALMS.

In a statement, HAI Director of Media and Communications, Ernest Omoarelojie, warned that the accompanying threat of military intervention significantly undermines Nigeria’s intricate diplomatic and security efforts to manage its complex security challenges.

TeamApt CEO, Ajalie: Digital payments ecosystem needs robust collaboration - ITREALMS

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TeamApt Ltd’s Managing Director, Dennis Ajalie, has said that fintech companies and banks play very complimentary roles in deepening payment products and services for users while acknowledging that at certain times those roles might have been misunderstood.

A subsidiary of Moniepoint Inc, TeamApt Ltd, facilitates payment processing across many industries while enabling reliable payments for banks and their customers, while reducing operating costs.

Nigeria Computer Society needs N400m to complete secretariat - ITREALMS

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An estimated sum of N400 million is needed to complete the national secretariat of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), reports ITREALMS.

This is coming as over 40 Information Technology professionals have been conferred with fellowship of NCS in addition to two honourary fellows.

Nigeria needs new constitution to born again, says Ndukuba - ITREALMS

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A new Nigeria is possible, but can only be born with a new constitution says the leadership of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion Most Revd Henry Ndukuba, reports ITREALMS.

Ndukuba the Archbishop Metropolitan and Primate of all Nigeria declared in Nnewi: " We need a new constitution that would reinforce true federalism, granting states more powers to address local challenges and drive development initiatives."

Prof Quaynor: Africa needs open internet as late comers - ITREALMS

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Leading father of African Internet, and Ghanaian scientist, Prof. Nii Narku Quaynor has declared that the continent needs an open internet to catch up with development in the digital ecosystem, reports ITREALMS.

Speaking as a special guest at the 2023 African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) in Accra-Ghana, Prof. Quaynor decried the incessant shutdowns of the Internet on the continent.

According to him, Africa as a late comer to the adoption of the Internet should not take any action capable of retarding the progress made in the Internet ecosystem since 1992.

Internet, he said has been in insistence 29 October 1969 when the first ARPANET message was sent from the site of the University of Carlifornia, Los Angeles (UCLA) to the Stanford Research Institute.

Stressing that based on packet switching and dynamic resource allocation, the sharing of information digitally from this first node of ARPANET launched the Internet revolution.

The Ghanaian born scientist and engineer who has played an important role in the introduction and development of the Internet throughout Africa.

“The Internet shut down in Africa should stop. Any potential for shutdown should be avoided,” he charged.

Prof. Quaynor also urged African Internet stakeholders, especially the government to promote affordable access to the internet and stop creating additional digital divide on the continent by shutting down the networks.




“We should have the goal of having one internet that is affordable. So, let us stop creating additional internet or digital divide in Africa by shutting down,” he appealed.

Africa, he maintained, was late to the Internet ecosytem, because it started in the 60s and as late comers must avoid anything to set the continent back.

In addition, Prof. Quaynor said that Internet should be included in any development project in Africa.

He cited an instance with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), saying that it will not succeed without the Internet component.

This is because, there is “No amount of online training that will replace handson” he said.

Much, he pointed out, have been done but more are expected by focusing on more critical resources through Internet Protocol (IP) resources.

While bemoaning the state of the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), he called for more involvement of all African especially the Internet stakeholders on what goes on at AFRINIC which is a continental project.

ITREALMS gathered that AfPIF held between August 22 and 24, at the Movenpick Ambassadors Hotels, Accra-Ghana.

Remmy Nweke in Accra, Ghana/DoP

The world needs visionary, courageous leaders by Austin Okere - ITREALMS

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Today’s leaders must be effective communicators who embrace depolarization, paradox, and compassion—and who take action without fear.

• As society faces a range of global challenges, it looks for leaders who can create positive change and share responsibility across sectors.

'NIMC's Public Procurement Act needs urgent amendment' - ITREALMS

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The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Aliyu Aziz Abubakar has charged members of the management of the Commission to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the country’s Public Procurement Act, reports ITREALMS.

He gave this charge in Lagos on Monday, while delivering his remarks at a 3-day Interactive Workshop on Procurement and understanding of the World Bank procurement process, procedures, and Ecosystem Enrolment readiness, organized by the Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) Project, in collaboration with NIMC.

Ramadan: Konga bullish for nourishment, personal care needs - ITREALMS

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Nigeria’s leading composite e-commerce giant, Konga, is witnessing a bullish market as Muslims in the country join millions globally to observe the holy month of Ramadan, reports ITREALMS.

This bullish trade is coming for the fulfilment of their nourishment and personal care requirements.

Isolo Rd PHC needs more medical personnels says SAT - ITREALMS

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The Lagos State Advocacy Team (SAT) has called for more medical personnel to be deployed at the Isolo Road, Primary Health Centre on Isolo Road, reports ITREALMS.

This, the team said, would aid prompt health service delivery in the Isolo axis and Lagos State in general, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why Nigeria needs Agric Emergency Fund - ITREALMS

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Some reasons have been adduced as to why Nigeria urgently needs an Agricultural Emergency Fund (AEF) outside the 2023 budget for agriculture, according to ActionAid Nigeria, reports ITREALMS.

Speaking recently through its Food and Agriculture Programme Manager, ActionAid Nigeria, Mr. Azubike Nwokoye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the fund has become imperative in order to avert the looming food crisis in the country.

ICT experts harp on critical infrastructure needs in Nigeria - ITREALMS

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Panelists at the just concluded NITRA ICT Growth Conference 2.0, have emphasized the need for an urgent review of Nigeria’s state of infrastructure so as to position the country to massively reap the benefits of a digital economy as obtained in some developed nations of the world.

Themed ‘Creating a Digital Ecosystem in Nigeria: The Hurdles, The Gains,’ the panelists drawn from both the public and private sector establishments, were of the consensus that infrastructure provisioning remained Nigeria’s surest pathway to building a robust digital economy.


At a second panel session during proceedings at the NITRA flagship technology conference held at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki Lagos, and moderated by Mr. Peter Oluka, Editor of TechEconomy.ng, the panelists agreed that efforts at building Nigeria’s digital economy cannot yield the much-desired fruit unless there is sustained commitment on the part of the government to prioritise the provision of infrastructure.


Seyi Olarenwaju, CFO of Medallion Data Centre said infrastructure is going to play a vital role in enhancing digital systems in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem, noting that “if there is no infrastructure in place, there is nothing.”


He stated that since governance has now been replaced by electioneering campaigns in preparation for the 2023 general election, the incoming administration should be focused, identify a particular infrastructure, and fix it, and expressed the hope that if in this regard, power is given priority attention, a lot of things will follow suit.


Kelechukwu Nsofor of Rack Centre, a carrier-neutral Tier III data centre who spoke from a data centre provider’s perspective, said power is the key infrastructure that drives a data centre business, describing it as basically the livewire of any data centre.


According to Nsofor, “The key infrastructure that we rely on is power. Power is basically the livewire of any data centre. Unfortunately, if you go back to 1999 since we started the current democratic dispensation in the country, what has been the installed capacity in terms of power? 20 years down the line, where are we today in terms of power?


“At a point, we were generating 1600MW, today, it’s still hovering around 3000MW. Where does that leave us as an economy of over 200 million people? So, if you look at the population growth rate and try to compare it with what we are growing in terms of power, you see that there’s a total disconnect.”


He said that Nigeria is blessed with a rich reservoir of policies and knowledge expertise but expressed worries that this has not been translated to results in the country’s power industry.


“Now, tying that to Rack Centre and indeed the data centre space, we have been generating our own power in the last nine years that we have been operating. And we’ve been fully in control of generating that power now. As we look to expand, we are also looking at ways where we can continue to generate power or do it more cost-effectively.


“We would like a situation where the government will actually stop the lip service that goes into infrastructure like power and actually start showing serious commitment by playing a major role in the provisioning of power infrastructure,” he said.


Noting that the digital economy is all about using the internet basically to push economic activities, Nsofor stated that what is critical even with the efforts at bringing in foreign direct investment, all the marine cables sitting on the coast of Lagos, is how to work with the private sector and knowledge experts basically on how to get things like multiple taxations and right of way out of the road.


“Operators can now push that capacity where it is actually needed. This will help us increase internet penetration, increase the digital economy growth, and push the economy forward,” he concluded.


In his contribution to the discourse, Babalola Olalekan of Phase 3 Telecoms admitted that the government was doing enough to provide infrastructure but stated that there was a need for stronger synergy between the government and service providers.


“There was a document released last year called Strategic Roadmap/Action Plan: A four-year plan 2021-2024. The key performance indices released in that document classified infrastructure in such categories as soft, service and hardware.


“When you look at the hardware infrastructure, we talk about how far we’ve gone in hardware infrastructure deployments like fibre cables. We talk of active devices and so on and so forth. But there’s something the government has put in place especially at the federal level by cutting down right-of-way charges all over the federation.


“Another area we have taken advantage of is the concession plan we call public-private partnership (PPP), where I expect the operators and players to key into and take advantage of our existing infrastructure, and opportunities.


“Another thing I will encourage we should be doing is a collaboration among players. All of us can only fight about a particular position or location. We can join hands on how to collaborate, leverage each other, and supply as a single network.


“So, I think the government is doing enough with policies. The onus is on us to tap into it, put more pressure on the government and be more up and doing in our collaborative efforts and take advantage of what is available to us through the government,” Olalekan said.

He said that going into the 2023 election, the most important thing to be focused on is security, stating that operators have many works to do out there in the field yet, they find it difficult to restore the network in the shortest possible time. “So, whatever government can do to make sure that our roads, our villages, our towns are secured, we will surely have a good general election.”


Chidi Okpala of Galaxy Backbone, in his intervention, acknowledged the fact that government understands the importance of infrastructure in growing the country’s digital economy, noting that one of the things the current administration holds dear to its heart, is infrastructure.


“Have they done all the things expected of them as government? Maybe not. But have they made some efforts in bridging the infrastructure gap? The answer is yes. But there is a whole lot of learning, a whole lot of training in trying to create that awareness, into fully understanding how this impacts the day-to-day living of everyone.


“As an organisation, what we are trying to do is to bridge that gap of understanding especially, people in leadership level in government; to let them understand this is what this infrastructure stands for, this is what it is all about. It is not just for sending emails but how it affects your life, your family, and the work that you do.


“We have done quite a lot together with some of the other organisations within the information technology space in the public sector. We are still doing a lot to raise that awareness of what this infrastructure means so that people can understand more and collaborate more.


“Collaboration is the key, talking about the benefits and not dwelling more on talking about the problems because sometimes when we do that, we cloud ourselves of the opportunities around us,” he said.


Okpala expressed the need for policymakers to be much more intentional about what the country is doing, how it the affects everyone, and how the efforts at building the country’s digital economy can be sustained.
The session, which was anchored by the Editor of TechEconomy, Mr. Peter Oluka, was unanimous with the position that infrastructure is the bedrock of ICT development and global competitiveness in Nigeria.

Lady needs N12m to walk again, appeals for help - ITREALMS

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When 32-year-old lady, Taiwo Ogunlaja, set out to learn sewing, she dreamt of becoming the best in her trade.

She dreamt of owning a clothing line and becoming widely acclaimed for her trade. 

2023: Why Nigeria needs an Igbo President says Afenifere, Pandef, MBF - ITREALMS

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The Yoruba socio cultural group-Afenifere, the Middle Belt forum, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and other leaders in the Southern region have pledged their support for an Igbo president in the 2023 general elections, reports ITREALMS.

The groups stressed that an Igbo President is the only key that will drive peace, unity and inclusion as well as national development; adding that 2023 presidency rightfully belongs to the south east region.

What IGP Abba needs to know about Isuaniocha killings, disturbances - ITREALMS

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Recently the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) petitioned the office of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Alkali Baba Usman, over the abuse of power and discreditable conduct of one senior Police officer, ASP Matthew Abu Michael.

RULAAC in the petition signed by the Executive Director, Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma gave some background on the disturbances at Isuaniocha in Awka-North Local Government Area of Anambra State since 2018.

Digital Literacy: Canon African Frontiers outlines vital needs - ITREALMS

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Covid-19 has accelerated education’s digital transformation, highlighting Africa’s digital divide – and exposing the vital need for all-inclusive digital literacy, say expert panelists at the inaugural session of Canon’s groundbreaking thought leadership series, reports ITREALMS.

As a result of the pandemic, online learning has provided a critical lifeline to learners affected by the worldwide closure of schools. This has, in turn, highlighted numerous social inequalities – not least the digital divide faced by the millions of students who lacked access to tools or resources and were unable to engage in remote learning.

Data Governance: Africa needs Internet core values for critical development - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Founding president of the Africa ICT Alliance (AfICTA), Dr Jimson Olufuye, has said that Africa needs Internet core values for critical development and improve data governance, reports ITREALMS.

Olufuye listed these values to include openness, transparency, inclusivity, collaboration, effectiveness, sustainability, responsiveness, peace, trust to name a few, just as he beckoned on African policy makers to pay attention to these values to stimulate critical development for the continent.

Speaking recently in Accra-Ghana during the 2019 Africa Geospatial Data and Internet Conference on “Internet Governance for all round Development (IG4D),” Olufuye said that shaping the Africa’s digital future entails special and serious attentions from the policy makers.

“They should pay serious attention to those core values such that geospatial and other critical developmental data are open and transparently accessible for innovation and creativity to thrive for the continuous growth and development of our economies,” he declared.

Olufuye, who is one of the five global business representatives to the United Nations Commission for Science and Technology for Development Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation (WGEC 1.0 & 2.0) pointed out that it will propel the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals on the continent of Africa and bridge the digital divide.

“And for more jobs to be created for our large youth population,” he said.

On the nexus of geospatial data, the Internet Governance and the SDGs, he said that geospatial data has everything to do with cadastral information of a country, hence, “It is a major national resource data which has the potential if well managed to be the fulcrum of prosperity of any nation.”

Olufuye, who equally is the chief executive officer, Kontemporary Konsulting, said that with available Internet tools, this resource could be better managed in an open, transparent and accountable manner for the benefit of the people.

“So, the nexus of geospatial data and Internet Governance is the values that drive them to enable benefits for all,” he said, stressing that these values include openness, transparency, inclusivity, collaboration, effectiveness, sustainability, responsiveness, peace, trust to name a few.

With the holistic use of geospatial data engendered by Internet Governance principles, he said, it would be possible that citizens could derive better values for their land thereby boosting their purchasing power with the attendant eradication of poverty, hunger, ill-health, illiteracy, gender inequality, and clean water and sanitation would be available.

Submitting that “Goal 15: Life on Land and goal 17: Stronger Stakeholder Partnership are benefits that would also result in proactive geospatial data governance.”

Chuks Egbuna/Editor
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Imo 2019: Why Irona is deputy Ihedioha needs - ITREALMS

Monday Commentary@ITREALMS:

The wind of politics is blowing heavily across the country, with alignments and re-alignments as daily occurrences, depending on the interest of individual politicians, groups and associations. In Imo State, the wind is so heavy that the state is up for grabs, as no particular political party or structure can confidently claim that Imo is in its hands.

A look at the major political parties in the state shows that they are all crises-ridden, but for the Peoples’ Democratic Party-PDP, which gubernatorial primary is adjudged most transparent and peaceful, both in Imo State and at the National stage; particularly, the governorship (Imo) and Presidential primaries that produced Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, respectively.

One of the aspirants for the Imo PDP gubernatorial ticket, Senator SamDaddy Anyanwu is said to have approached the Court to challenge the outcome of the primaries, even after allegedly congratulating and pledging to support the flagbearer, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha; a move pundit describe as being done in bad fate. As at today, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha remains the authentic flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.

The other two main political parties in the state: the All Progressives Congress- APC and the All Progressives Grand Alliance appear to be in an unending internal battle for control of the parties. While the APC presently has two of her aspirants- Chief Uche Nwosu and Senator Hope Uzodimma claiming to be candidates of the Party; the All Progressives Grand Alliance broke the hearts of millions of people, who were hoping that the party would elect an acceptable gubernatorial candidate through a peaceful and transparent process. Some of the party’s gubernatorial aspirants are already pitching their tents with other political parties. No doubt, the internal wrangling of the APC and APGA may still linger and will certainly not end well. The rest is history.

One other candidate that many expect would make a serious impact in the election is that of the Young Progressives Party-YPP, Mr. Linus Okorie. Okorie would have been a good candidate, but for his political party, which many see as not having the required structure and network to take over Imo in 2019. The YPP has so much to do to enhance its visibility, position itself as a strong and identifiable brand, while strengthening its structures for greater impact. Who knows? There is nothing God cannot do.

The Peoples Democratic Party appears to be the shinning star of the moment in Imo. It has gone beyond primaries and already positioning itself for the main election, hence, the thrust of this piece. Hon. Ihedioha’s chances of becoming Imo Governor have never been this bright. If he fails to win in 2019, he might as well forget governing Imo forever. Whatever decisions he takes at this stage will go a long way in determining if he will win; and if he does, whether he will enjoy a peaceful reign as governor. The crux of this piece is not to set an agenda for him yet. That is for another day. The idea behind this is to ensure he gets conscious of the banana peels around.

Any moment from now, a Deputy Governorship candidate will emerge. What should be the considerations for Hon. Emeka Ihedioha’s choice of a Deputy? If he fails to get it right at this point, then, his major problem has started.

The recent betrayal of the Lagos State Governor by some of his aides, especially, his Deputy is still very fresh in our minds. The first consideration in choosing a Deputy Governor must therefore be trust. Such a person must therefore be someone he has known and possibly worked with in the past.

Next in order of importance is capacity. Having one with no experience in governance and public service is a recipe to failure. The state of affairs in Imo as at today is so bad that putting a green horn in certain positions might spell doom for the next administration. The Deputy Governor must be one that has capacity to support and guide his principal. Such a person must also be one that will have the ability to guide and advise the Governor sincerely. This is very important because one of the major reasons behind the failure of leaders is that they are usually surrounded by sycophants who do not tell them the true state of things, thereby making them continue in error.

Again, such a person must not be tainted with corruption and will have the ability to suggest initiatives that will promote transparency in governance. One of the major problems of the present administration in Imo is the complete absence of transparency and accountability. Having one that has no baggage of corruption, with capacity to drive good governance initiatives will certainly make the business of governance easy for the incoming governor.

More so, political consideration is a very important issue that must be given serious consideration. The PDP Governorship candidate is from Owerri senatorial zone of the state, with nine local government areas. The disputed candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance - Senator Ifeanyi Araraume is from Okigwe zone, with only six Local Government Areas. The two individuals jostling to have the ticket of the APC- Chief Uche Nwosu and Senator Hope Uzodimma are both from Orlu zone. Orlu is the largest/biggest senatorial zone in Imo State, with twelve Local Government Areas.

Strategically, the only option the PDP candidate has is to pick a running mate from Orlu zone. Apart from being the largest senatorial zone, the two candidates of the APC have serious baggage working against them. The gist is for another day.

In Orlu zone, one must look inwards, to ensure that historic and landmark decisions are taken. There are four Federal constituencies in Orlu zone. The first is Ideato Federal constituency, made up of Ideato North and South. This constituency produced the incumbent Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, who is about completing his second tenure in office. It is therefore completely out of it.

Next is Orlu, Orsu and Oru East Federal constituency. This constituency produced two-time Governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa, who ruled the state for eight years. It also produced a former Deputy Governor of the state, Dr. Douglas Acholonu. It is also instructive that one of the two main contenders for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress- Senator Hope Uzodimma is from this constituency.

The third is the Nwangele/Nkwerre/Isu and Njaba federal constituency. The Orlu zonal senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Rt. Hon. Jones Onyereri is from this constituency. Can the Senator and Deputy Governor come from the same place? More so, one of the two APC Gubernatorial hopefuls, Chief Uche Nwosu is from the same area.

The last, but most marginalized federal constituency in the area is the Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru West federal constituency. In spite of contributing over eighty (80) percent of Imo crude oil earnings, as well as being the food basket of the state, this federal constituency remains the most marginalized in the state. This is the only oil producing federal constituency in the state. It is the same area that Adapalm is situated. Sadly also, it is currently ravaged by flood, with the attendant oil pollution. The federal constituency has neither produced a governor nor a deputy, since the creation of the state.

Interestingly, Hon. Ihedioha is from Owerri zone of the state which has also been crying over marginalization. He therefore has an idea of how it feels to be marginalized. If Ndi Imo agree that it is the turn of Owerri zone, will he not agree that the marginalized people of Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru West federal constituency be considered for at least, a Deputy Governorship slot?

Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha will be writing his name in gold as an apostle of justice and fair play if he looks in the direction of Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru West federal constituency in selecting his running mate for the 2019 general election. This decision will portray him as one that does not accept injustice in any form. Even stakeholders from other constituencies agree that it is the turn of the oil producing federal constituency to have a shot at the deputy governorship position. Doing this will simply mean implementing the wish of the people and this will endear him more to the masses.

In all of these, one candidate that appears to fit into all the earlier listed criteria and most importantly, has the electoral value and capacity to secure victory for Hon. Ihedioha in the zone is a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Gerald Irona. If you have him, then, you are sure. An Ihedioha/Irona ticket will give hope to the people. Irona is transparent, credible, experienced, reliable, competent, independent-minded and trustworthy.

Imo people appear determined to vote out the APC in the next general elections. APGA has also broken the people’s heart. It is not about partisanship at this stage, but about patriotism. The hope of the people of Imo state for 2019 is the PDP’s candidate. Don’t dash it. Hon. Ihedioha’s chances are very bright. Let’s collectively fight injustice, as injury to one is injury to all. It is the turn of Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru West federal constituency to produce a deputy governor. Be an instrument of honour and give the people justice.

Irona as deputy governor will nail it!

*Contributed by Dr. Walter Duru is a Communication expert and Public Relations Strategist. He can be reached on:walterchike@gmail.com.

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Nigeria needs a national worldview – Prof. Moghalu

ITREALMS:

The former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu, has said that Nigeria needs a worldview that could help realize its potential, reports ITRealms.

Speaking at the 2018 edition of The Bullion Lecture, the annual lecture series of Centre for Financial Journalism (CFJ Nigeria), a training and research organization based in Lagos, on the topic “The Wealth of Nations and the Imperative of Economic Transformation”, Prof. Moghalu said that “As in individuals, so it is for countries. Those that have well developed worldview, with global strategic intent in a competitive world, tend to perform better than those that don’t”.

He attributed Nigeria’s economic poor performance to lack of this essential worldview, especially lack of economic philosophy. “Nigeria has failed to achieve high-quality economic growth because the country’s economy is managed mostly on an ad-hoc, reactive basis. It is a “survival” economy in which most governments that held political power have had no real economic vision or a strategy to execute such a vision successfully”, Moghalu said.

Also, he noted that though Nigeria has a national policy on science, technology and innovation, this has practically no impact on Nigeria’s economy, arguing that this is because there is no policy support for moving the products of innovation into the marketplace through mass production and marketing distribution, and because the incentives for innovation are not yet strong enough in intellectual property law and regulation.

He disclosed that patents and other kinds of intellectual property are the engine drivers of knowledge economy.

“The absence of a link between science, commercialized indigenous innovation, and economic and business activity is a fundamental obstacle between Nigeria and a quantum leap to prosperity. This gap is all the more tragic because science and technology is one area in which African countries such as Nigeria can quickly develop global competitive advantage over the Western world and even Asia”.

He further revealed that Nigeria’s economy lacks complexity in the extreme, which is why the country remains the greatest importer of Premium Motor Spirit while it exports crude oil.

Moghalu insisted that Nigeria should have an established worldview; establishment and consistent application of clear economic philosophy of entrepreneurial capitalism in the context of a developmental state, as the guiding framework for the Nigerian economy; constitutional repeal of the Land Use Act that traps wealth of Nigerian citizens in the hands of government choking  grip of state bureaucracy; reforming the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation into a partially privatized company; deregulating the downstream petroleum sector; and avoid further foreign loans which has put us back into a debt trap that will mortgage the future generations of Nigeria.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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Digital economy needs strong 5G foundation - Ekholm

ITREALMS:

The President and chief executive officer at Ericsson, Mr. Börje Ekholm has adduced some reasons why digital economy needs strong fifth-generation (5G) foundation, reports ITRealms.

Speaking at the just concluded 2018 Mobile World Congress in a keynote fireside chat with Karen Tso, co-anchor of Squawk Box Europe on CNBC, Ekholm reiterated that 5G has moved from buzzword to a commercial reality, highlighting the company’s 38 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and several commercial contracts with service providers.

This, he said, avails 5G to position service providers at the center of the digital ecosystem.

“We see 5G as a way to show the value of the network. A lot of technology depends on a strong mobile infrastructure,” he said, stressing that while increased speed will be important with 5G, lower latency and longer battery life could be even more so.

5G, he said, has been designed to be the industrial internet, with remote control of machinery and maintenance with augmented reality as two prime examples.

“At the same time, the consumer will see this too, for instance, in health care and autonomous vehicles where low latency will be a critical factor,” Ekholm said.

On the need for the right regulatory regime, he also said deregulation in Europe and easier site permitting processes, will allow for the rapid build out of sites necessary for 5G.

“It’s important for governments to see networks as critical natural resources. 100 years ago, we built out railways and roads. The future roads are digital highways,” he declared and looking ahead to the future on several levels – commercially, in terms of new devices and in how 5G will dramatically change lives.

“5G will be a commercial reality for a couple reasons,” he said. “The first is data traffic.  We need 5G to bring cost per gigabyte down.  We also see that early movers in new technology gain a benefit.  We saw that with early movers in 4G – they get higher average revenue per user and higher market share.”

Ericsson predicts there will be a billion 5G devices on the market by 2023, and they could likely shift how we interact with our connected devices.

“We’ll see more wearables. And fragmentation on the device side will be larger. Today the smartphone is the center of ecosystem.  That could look different in a 5G world.”

But it’s also about opening up possibilities.

“Think about the smartphone. Did we think that we would use it to stream video and music, order food and order a cab?  No. The new use cases will come as the technology matures,” Ekholm said.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Nokia ‘factory in a box’ debuts, anticipates fast-changing manufacturing needs

ITREALMS:

Nokia-led group of 12 electronics industry players have unveiled the ‘factory in a box’ concept, to simplify how manufacturers could stay ahead of industry demands 4.0 through agile production that could be packed, transported and brought back into service in a matter of hours, reports ITRealms. 

The group, ITRealms gathered, started working on the concept in the summer of 2017, aimed at building a single electronics manufacturing line using cargo containers that can be moved to locations as demand dictates.

Collaboration, ITRealms reports, was driven by the expected changes in manufacturing sparked by Industry 4.0, including cloud-based solutions, robotics and new electronic manufacturing IoT solutions, all of which will demand greater agility and flexibility from manufacturers.

Potential use cases include but not limited to building for 'country of origin' requirements - The container can be driven to a location, build the required volume, and then be moved again as needed.

The new product introduction - With new products, time to market is a competitive advantage. By moving the "factory in a box" to partners, prototyping can be quickly done and fixes quickly performed and tested.

And disaster recovery - When a site is hit by a natural disaster, business continuity plans kick in but can take time. With a spare portable factory, critical customer orders can still be achieved in a timely manner.

In late 2017, the project took a step forward at Nokia's Digital Creativity Lab opening in Munich, where a cargo container with a collaborative robot assembly station was packed, moved to a new location by truck, then restarted within hours at the new location where small Lego cars were assembled, proving the precision of the machines.

The final step in the proof of concept was achieved on February 9, 2018, when full electronic manufacturing of a printed circuit board and robotic assembly and testing took place.

The group - Nokia, Beta Layout, DHL, Fuji, HARTING, Isel, isoloc, MTEK Consulting, Mycronic, Rehm Thermal Systems, Viscom, and 42Q - now plans to demonstrate this full capability at the Hanover Messe in April 2018.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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