Akpabio mourns Dotun Oladipo, hails courageous journalist, digital media pioneer - ITREALMS

The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON, has expressed profound sadness over the passing of veteran journalist and publisher of The Eagle Online, Mr. Dotun Oladipo, reports ITREALMS.

Describing his sudden death as a painful loss to both the Nigerian media landscape and the nation at large, Senator Akpabio acknowledged Oladipo’s trailblazing contributions to journalism, public discourse, and the institutional growth of digital publishing in Nigeria.

FOI Act @15 awards: MRA names Oladunjoye and Remmy Nweke pioneer prize winners - ITREALMS

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The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has officially named Ms. Blessing Oladunjoye and Remmy Nweke as the historic pioneer winners of the maiden Dr. Goodluck Jonathan Freedom of Information (FOI) Awards, reports ITREALMS.

The landmark announcement, contained in an official statement made available to ITREALMS and endorsed by MRA Communications Officer Mr. Idowu Adewale, coincides with the 15th anniversary of the signing of the FOI Act into law.

NITDA, Wigwe University pioneer Nigerian AI and Smart Agriculture - ITREALMS

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​The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Wigwe University have initiated high-level talks to establish a strategic partnership focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) research, agricultural innovation, and digital talent development, reports ITREALMS.

The engagement, led by Wigwe University Vice-Chancellor Professor Marwan Al-Akaidi and senior NITDA officials, aims to bridge the gap between academic research and national digital policy to accelerate Nigeria’s technological self-reliance.

Pioneer chairman, MTN Nigeria, Pascsl Dozie passes away @85 - ITREALMS

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The pionner chairman, MTN Nigeria, and founder of Diamond Bank, Chief Pascal Gabriel Dozie, has passed away at the age of 85 years, reports ITREALMS.

He died on Tuesday, just a day before his 86th birthday, due to age-related illnesses.

Tinubu names Olukayode Gregory, pioneer registrar of new Federal University - ITREALMS

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Dr. Obayomi Olukayode Gregory as the Pioneer Registrar of the newly established Federal University of Medicine and Medical Sciences in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

This appointment marks a significant milestone in the development of the university, which was established in 2023.

Computer Guild mourns Gbolahan Awonuga, pioneer president, ICTLOCA - ITREALMS

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The Computer Guild of Nigeria (CGN) has expressed profound sorrow over the untimely death of Mr. Gbolahan Awonuga, the pionner President of the Association for Information and Communication Technology on Local Content (ICTLOCA) and the Executive Secretary of the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON). 

His demise, which occurred recently, has sent shockwaves through the technology and telecommunications sectors, leaving a significant void.

Soludo congratulates Mark Okoye as pioneer MD South-East Dev. Commission - ITREALMS

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The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has congratulated Mr. Mark Okoye on his confirmation by the Senate as the pioneer Managing Director of the South East Development Commission (SEDC) after a rigorous screening, reports ITREALMS.

In his goodwill message, Governor Soludo described Mr. Okoye's appointment, following his nomination by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, as an attestation to his exceptional leadership capabilities and dedication to public service, qualities he abundantly demonstrated while serving as the MD/CEO of the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA) and previously as Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning in the state. 

Aguleri Diocese debuts with Denis Isizoh as pioneer bishop - ITREALMS

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The Pontiff, Pope Francis, has formally established the Catholic Diocese of Aguleri with Most Reverend Denis Isizoh as pioneer Bishop, reports ITREALMS.

The latest Catholic Diocese in Nigeria and appointment of the its first Bishop of the new Episcopal See, ITREALMS gathered was disclosed by the Holy See Press office on Sunday, February 12.

Engr Ige, former Communications Minister, pioneer NIG chair, is dead - ITREALMS

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The former Minister of Communications, and pioneer chairman of the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Engr Olawale Adeniji Ige, is dead, reports ITREALMS.

The family of Ige of Ile Seedu, Ijeru in Ogbomosho, Oyo State confirmed the passage to glory the former Minister of Communications, Engr Olawale Adeniji Ige, in a public statement available to ITREALMS.

Internet pioneer, Barlow dies @71, EFF mourns

ITREALMS:

An Internet pioneer, John Perry Barlow is late and died at the age of 71 years old, reports 
ITRealms.

Barlow who was one of the founders of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an international non-profit digital rights group based in San Francisco, California, passed away on Wednesday during sleep.

ITRealms recalls that Barlow founded EFF alongside John Gilmore, John Gilmore and Mitchell Kapor on July 6, 1990 in California.

Confirming this to ITRealms, the Executive Director, EFF, Cindy Cohn said that she had a broken heart on hearing about John's death, describing him as a visioner

"We will miss Barlow and his wisdom for decades to come, and he will always be an integral part of EFF," Cohn said.

The director also in a blog post noted that major parts of the Internet "we all know and love today exist and thrive because of Barlow’s vision and leadership."

According to Cohn, "he always saw the Internet as a fundamental place of freedom, where voices long silenced can find an audience and people can connect with others regardless of physical distance.

"Barlow was sometimes held up as a straw man for a kind of naive techno-utopianism that believed that the Internet could solve all of humanity's problems without causing any more. 

"As someone who spent the past 27 years working with him at EFF, I can say that nothing could be further from the truth. Barlow knew that new technology could create and empower evil as much as it could create and empower good. 

"He made a conscious decision to focus on the latter: "I knew it’s also true that a good way to invent the future is to predict it. So I predicted Utopia, hoping to give Liberty a running start before the laws of Moore and Metcalfe delivered up what Ed Snowden now correctly calls 'turn-key totalitarianism.'”

"Barlow’s lasting legacy is that he devoted his life to making the Internet into “a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth . . . a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity.”

Cohn promised to share in the coming days and weeks what an extraordinary role Barlow played for the Internet and the world. 

"And as always, we will continue the work to fulfill his dream," she assured.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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MRA launches FOI Hall of Shame, names Justice Okuwobi pioneer inductee

ITRealms:

The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has launched the “FOI Hall of Shame” aimed at focusing attention on public officials and institutions undermining the effectiveness of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011 through their actions, decisions or utterances, reports ITRealms.

This came as Justice Doris Okuwobi of the Ikeja High Court has been named the first inductee.

The Executive Director, MRA, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, told ITRealms in Lagos Tuesday decried that “six years after the Act was enacted into Law, it has become clear that there is a concerted effort by some public officials and institutions, cutting across all arms and all levels of government, to ensure that it does not work and that it does not achieve its objectives. We intend to call them out in the court of public opinion.”

In an accompanying press statement made available to ITRealms, he said MRA has concluded plans to name weekly any public institution or public official into the ‘FOI Hall of Shame.’

He said that those to be named would be a public institution or public official who, by its, his or her action or inaction, decision, utterance or in any other way is undermining or has undermined the effective implementation of the FOI Act.

“We will provide ample justification for our decision regarding such an institution or official” he said.

Ojo went on to explain the choice of Justice Okuwobi as the first inductee into the FOI Hall of Shame, saying that her ruling on an FOI suit on June 19, 2017 describing it as “one of the most ridiculous decisions ever given by a court anywhere in the world.”

MRA boss stressed that the implication of the ruling is that if a public institution ignores a freedom of information request by failing to respond to it, it can never be sued, despite the clear provisions of the Freedom of Information Act to the contrary.

Ojo explained that “On November 4, 2016, MRA made a freedom of information request to the Ojodu Local Council Development Area, by a letter with the subject: “Request for Records of Water Works Plans for Araromi Zion Estate”.  MRA asked the Council to provide it with relevant information about the provision of government services to a community in Ikeja, in the heart of Lagos, completely neglected by the government and which enjoys no government service of any description. The Council ignored the FOI request.

“On December 6, 2016, MRA filed an application at the Ikeja Judicial Division of the Lagos State High Court seeking leave to compel the Council to comply with the provisions of the FOI Act and provide MRA with the information requested.

“The first outrage, as far as the Judiciary’s involvement in this is concerned, is that although the FOI Act requires courts to deal with such matters speedily, it took the court more than seven months just to list and hear a simple motion exparte for leave.

“When Justice Okuwobi finally heard the application for leave on June 19, 2017, in the face of the complaint and prayer for a declaration that the failure and/or refusal by the Council to give MRA a written notice that access to all or part of the information requested will not be granted was a violation of the FOI Act, the judge held that MRA’s failure to show evidence of a written notice by the Council denying it access to the information was fatal to its case.

“It is also a matter of serious concern that although the FOI Act gives public institutions seven days within which to respond to a request for information and states clearly that where the institution fails to give access to the information or record applied for within this time limit, the institution is deemed to have refused to give access, Justice Okuwobi ruled: “I will not speculate on the fact that there was a denial by the Respondent’s failure to comply.”

“Finally, although the FOI Act gives public institutions seven days to provide the information requested and requires an applicant who has been denied access to information to approach the Court within 30 days after the public institution denied or is deemed to have denied access to the information, Justice Okuwobi held, more than seven months after MRA made its request for the information, that the application to the court was “premature” because the Council had not given MRA a written notice that it would not grant access.

“In effect, the judge used the Council’s disregard of its duties and obligations under the FOI Act, against MRA, the victim, which had come before the court for redress.”

For Ojo, “It beats the imagination that a judge will condone and actively encourage such an act of impunity by making it impossible for those whose rights are so flagrantly and wantonly violated to approach the courts to vindicate their rights. The Judgement does not only constitute a deadly impediment to the effectiveness of the FOI Act, it also brings the Judiciary to disrepute and diminishes citizens’ confidence in it.”

MRA insisted that it is on the basis of the foregoing, that on Monday, July 3, 2017, MRA inducted Justice Doris Okuwobi of the Ikeja High Court into the FOI Hall of Shame.

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

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1-year Anniversary: Yudala innovates with zero gravity, exciting offers

ITRealms:

The momentum is set for the first anniversary of Yudala’s resonating entry into Nigeria’s electronic-commerce (e-commerce) sector, reports ITRealms.

A press statement from the company informed ITRealms that they are putting finishing touches to plans aimed at celebrating its numerous customers with a multi-city digital entertainment concert tagged Zero Gravity.

Slated as an annual event, Zero Gravity is an initiative of Yudala targeted at rewarding customers in major cities across the world.

Yudala, ITRealms gathered would make an official content pronouncement on the anniversary in a world press conference scheduled for Wednesday July 27^th 2016.

Equally, ITRealms learnt that Zero Gravity will take place in three of Yudala's most patronized cities across Nigeria every year, with each city witnessing two concerts; a Rock Gospel concert and Contemporary Music blast.

This, our source said, would feature headline acts and the best of artistes in both music genres from Nigeria and other parts of the world.

ITRealms further gathered that the anniversary will be heralded by New Concept Media Group which would power the concerts with their best-in-class digital concert equipment.

In addition, ITRealms was informed that there are heightened plans to kick-start the Yudala formal Zero Gravity event with an Independence concert on October this year.

Within a year of its entrance, ITRealms reports that Yudala has positively raised the standards with a series of pioneering feats including the launch of same day delivery and the first recorded drone delivery in the e-commerce world in Nigeria, innovative and exciting offers to consumer more value-added options.

Chuks Egbuna/GEE

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Avri Doria is ICANN multistakeholder ethos pioneer awardee

ITRealms:

The Evaluation Committee for the pioneer ICANN Multistakeholder Ethos Award Programme  2014, has selected a longtime community member, Avri Doria, as the first-ever recipient, reports ITRealms.

Avri's nomination ITRealms learnt, received the highest vote out of the 22 other nominees to win the award in recognition of her multiple roles in ICANN, cutting across the Accountability and Transparency Review Team-2 (ATRT2), the ICANN academy and being an active participant in many working groups.

ITRealms also gathered that the Ethos award noted her active and constructive engagement in other Internet fora such as the United Nation’s (UN) Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG), the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the UN Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation (WGEC), the Internet Society (ISOC), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF), and others.

Avri Doria, ITRealms recalled was a Nominating Committee appointee to ICANN's GNSO Council from 2005-2009, and elected from the Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG) from 2013 to now, Avri also chaired the GNSO and its council from 2007-2009. She has served in multiple GNSO working groups, as a key participant on the Joint Applicant Support Program Cross Community Working Group, and within several At-Large working groups. A resident of Rhode Island, US, she is currently a policy and governance advisor to dotgay LLC, on the research staff of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and a member of the faculty of the International School for Internet Governance.

Overall, the evaluation panel selected her as having demonstrated the best spirit of collaboration as shown through empathy and a sincere desire to engage with people from other backgrounds, cultures and interests.

Further, she was reported according to available evaluation process to  ITRealms as having demonstrated willingness to reach out to new people, to listen and really engage with others who do not necessarily share her viewpoints or interests. She is well known beyond any one constituency or stakeholder group as someone willing to have a true dialogue and work toward consensus. She is a real steward of the multistakeholder model.

The community evaluation panel was: Carolina Aguerre, John Berard, David Conrad, Olivier Crépin-Leblond, Robert Guerra, Roelof Meijer, Jonathan Robinson and Stefano Trumpy. Nominees and nominators are confidential.

Working over a period of four weeks, they evaluated nominations sent in from the community and carefully deliberated each candidate on four criteria, namely demonstrated multistakeholder volunteer service via working groups or committees; Demonstrated spirit of collaboration through engagement with other community members with the aim of consensus building; Demonstrated facilitator of dialogue and open discussion in a fair, cordial and collegial manner.; demonstrated additional devotional factors exhibited by time spent supporting ICANN's multistakeholder model and its overall effectiveness.

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Pix: Avri Doria