Makinde: Why Ibadan chieftaincy system'll continue to remain solid - ITREALMS

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Oyo State governor, 'Seyi Makinde, has explained that the Ibadan traditional institution will continue to remain solid as a result of his administration's bold decision to address the challenges that surrounded the system when he took office in 2019.

The governor noted that he utilised the opportunity of the crisis faced by the institution to strengthen it and to bring unity back to the institution.

Adeleke: We remain resolute, committed to good governance - ITREALMS

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The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has reiterated his commitment to delivering good governance and infrastructure development, despite baseless criticisms from some politicians, reports ITREALMS.

According to a statement by Mallam Olawale Rasheed, spokesperson to the State Governor, Adeleke is set to flag off the dualization of Ila Orangun township road and the second phase of Osogbo-Ikirun-Ila Odo Kwara State Boundary road.

Call masking: No lifting of ban, remain offense insists Maida – ITREALMS

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has insisted that call masking remained a crime punishable in the nation’s telecommunications space, reports ITREALMS.

The Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida disclosed this to ITREALMS on Thursday at a media parley which coincided with his 100 days in office held in Lagos.

Call masking is a telephone feature that displays a designated phone number on outbound calls; Callers could only see the caller ID that you set and not your actual phone number or extension.

Responding to ITREALMS question, EVC Maida said that as far as he knows, call masking ban has not been lifted.

This, he maintained, remained a crime and criminal offenses have some deterrent actions.

Also speaking, the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Engr. Ubale Ahmed Maska reiterated the EVC position, declaring that “it remained a criminal offense to operate call masking in the country.”

He also revealed that some measures are being put in place to ensure such perpetrators are tracked and punished.

In addition, he disclosed that NCC has recently completed installation of some equipment to aid the Commission in tracking masked calls and eventually break the perpetrators to book.

The latest installations, he said, would avail NCC more surveillance, emphasising that punishment will be meted to offenders.

Further, the EVC reeled out his strategic plans to be anchored on four pillars including, collaboration, data-centric, compliance and digitalisation of processes.

As said by Maida, the importance of collaboration cannot be over-emphasised given the fact that telecommunications binds every other sectors of the economy.

NCC under his watch, he said would ensure data-centric engagement so as to ensure that data drives and used to project the work of the commission, as such that industry data collection is paramount in its service delivery, while focus on critical stakeholders, namely the consumers, licensees and the government.

Maida, who was also accompanied by the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Mr. Adeleke Morounfolu Adewolu, some directors, deputy directors, heads of units as well as, Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Reuben Muoka, anticipated all the licensees of NCC to comply with the rules of the game towards making the sector the defacto engine-room of the modern economies.

Pointing out that network reliability will be encouraged to empower consumers to have a better connectivity and move away from multiple SIM usage.

Efforts, he said, would be geared towards making data more affordable, thereby advancing the general security to improve end-user experience.

He warned that there will be consequences for using SIM for frauds in the country and NCC will tighten any loose end to make sure this is achieved.

Whereas, he said that NCC will leverage digitalisation to work processes more friendly to the eco-system including subscribers and investors.

Remmy Nweke/DoP

Ajegunle youths advised to remain focused, committed to studies - ITREALMS

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The youths have been charged to remain focused and committed in their studies so as to achieve their set goals cum aspirations not minding their immediate environment to be an obstacles in their educational pursuits, reports ITREALMS.

The Convener of a non-governmental organisattion (NGO), Uplifting the Youngsters Foundation (UYF), Ms Chioma Ejere gave this charge in her opening speech at a One-Day seminar organised for Secondary Schools Students in Ajegunle-Apapa at Ajeromi Central Nursery & Primary School with the theme "Excelling in the midst of distractions, health consequences of drug and alcohol addiction."

All CBN issued banknotes remain legal tender - ITREALMS

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The apex banking institution in the country, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reaffirmed that all its bank notes remain legal tender as issued, reports ITREALMS.

Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Dr. Isa AbdulMumin, in a press statement available to ITREALMS, said that their attention have again been drawn to reports of a scarcity of cash across some major cities in the country despite assurances of sufficient cash stocks in all locations across
the country.

Federal universities remain tuition-free - ITREALMS

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The Federal Government has denied increasing tuition fees in Federal Universities in the country, insisting it remains tuition free, reports ITREALMS.

The Special Adviser to the President (Special Duties, Communications & Strategy), Mr. Dele Alake noted that it was widely reported earlier this week across some news media outlets that the Federal Government had increased tuition fees in federal universities in the country.

Oswil Cakes boss insists bakers must remain humble, disciplined - ITREALMS

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Oseghale Wilson is the chief executive officer (CEO), Oswil Cakes & Events, Lagos. He recently spoke to ITREALMS' GBEMI OMOTOSO, maintaining that a baker must be very humble and disciplined.

Excerpts:

How did you get around your brandname?
While I was thinking of a name to use for my brand, a friend called me "Oswil." I thought and found it appropriate as my brandname that was how I came up with it.

New entrants must remain focused, because sky is their starying point says CEO, MSM Cakes - ITREALMS

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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MSM Cakes 'N' Cream, Lagos, Onowighose Adline Elo, in this chat with ITREALMS' GBEMI OMOTOSO, advises new entrants to remain focused, insist, the sky is the starting point.

Excerpts:

How did you get your brand name (MSM)?

Smiles ... It's from my children's name; Marvellous, Solace and Mildred (MSM).

'Internet potentials remain largely untapped' - ITREALMS

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​​The immense potential of the Internet for social and economic good remains largely untapped despite 30 years of steady growth, according to a new report from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies.

Launched to coincide with the opening of ITU's World Telecommunication Development Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, the Global Connectivity Report 2022 argues that while easy, affordable access to fast broadband is near-ubiquitous in most rich-world nations, vast swaths of humanity remain excluded from the immense possibilities offered by the online experience, stunting economic development and deepening global inequalities.

While the number of Internet users surged from a just a few million in the early 1990s to almost five billion today, 2.9 billion people – or around one third of humanity – still remain totally offline, and many hundreds of millions more struggle with expensive, poor-quality access that does little to materially improve their lives.

The report advocates for putting 'universal and meaningful connectivity' – defined as the possibility of a safe, satisfying, enriching, productive, and affordable online experience for everyone – at the centre of global development. It also evaluates how close the world is to achieving that universal and meaningful connectivity, using the connectivity targets for 2030 recently released by ITU and the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology.

The cost of broadband subscriptions and digital devices remains a major barrier to connectivity, the report confirms. While Internet access has become progressively cheaper in richer countries, getting online is still prohibitively expensive in many in low- and lower-middle-income economies.

And although the cost of broadband – especially mobile broadband – has fallen significantly over the past decade, the majority of low- and middle-income economies still fall short of the global affordability target of 2% or less of gross national income per capita set by the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.

“Equitable access to digital technologies isn't just a moral responsibility, it's essential for global prosperity and sustainability," said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “We need to create the right conditions, including promoting environments conducive to investment, to break cycles of exclusion and bring digital transformation to all."​

While the COVID-related surge in demand for Internet access brought some 800 million additional people online, it also dramatically increased the cost of digital exclusion, with those unable to connect abruptly shut out of employment, schooling, access to health advice, financial services, and much more.

“Universal, meaningful connectivity has become the global imperative for our decade," said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau, which produced the report. “It's no longer just about linking people – the catalytic role of connectivity will also be absolutely critical to our success in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals."

Sanwo-Olu Congratulates Buhari, urges Nigerians to remain peaceful - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his victory in the just concluded presidential election, reports ITREALMS.

A press statement by his media and communication team on Wednesday, and made available to ITREALMS, Sanwo-Olu described Buhari's success at the poll as “not only well-deserving, but a valid testimony to the fact that Nigerians acknowledge and are appreciative of his reformative initiatives designed to bring forth a better Nigeria”.

''Your Excellency, I heartily congratulate you on your success at the recent presidential election held across Nigeria last weekend. Your landslide victory is a validation and appreciation of your hard work and commitment to the fight against corruption. With this deserved victory, your selflessness and dedication to the services of our motherland have become a new leadership model in Nigeria.

Expectedly, the reward for good work is more work. So, your victory in the nationwide free and fair election, which is a validation of how your leadership has rekindled hope in millions of Nigerians at home and abroad, has provided yet another valuable opportunity for better Nigeria since democracy has found a permanent place in our country.’’ Sanwo-Olu said.

Sanwo-Olu, who also described President Muhammadu Buhari as the perfect man for the job of taking Nigeria out of the inherited socio-economic quagmire, noted that the evident giant strides of the President in the areas of infrastructure, agriculture, security and economic stability should be sustained.

‘’I am sure that Your Excellency will use this victory and your second term of four years in office to complete all the great projects you embarked upon. You are the perfect candidate for the job of re-ordering the nation and setting her on the path to greatness. The zeal to do something more sustainable for the masses of the country has made your electoral victory reality. All your hard work to achieve an economically viable and one indivisible Nigeria has paid off.’’

The APC flagbearer however called on Nigerians to live in peace and harmony, saying that there is a lot more to benefit from '‘what unites us than what divides us.’’ He advised Nigerians to see elections as a means to an end and not the end itself.

'‘Elections are a four-year cycle activity, which means that when there is life, we will have another round of elections in the next four years. Therefore, it does not do us any good to fight ourselves over it. We all cannot belong to the same political party or lean towards the same candidates, that is why it is a contest, but we have a duty to live together in peace and harmony, regardless of our political leaning.

Making specific reference to Lagos, the APC standard bearer urged non-indigenous Lagosians to ignore the rumoured fracas or intimidation of Igbo by some elements in the State. He said nothing of such will happen in Lagos.

‘’Many ethnic nationalities have settled in Lagos and have made this place a home. We cannot allow a four-year election cycle to divide us. I therefore urge all our Igbo and Hausa brothers and sisters to continue to live in peace as we have lived together over the years. Everyone is safe in Lagos.’’ Sanwo-Olu stated.

Sanwo-Olu, who has resumed campaign activities, urged Lagosians to believe in the All Progressives Congress-led government to continue to deliver the good for the citizens.

He reiterated his commitment to run an inclusive government, where all ethnic nationalities will have a say in the affairs of the state.

‘‘We have done it before. We will do it again. No part of Lagos will be left out of the scheme of things. We will run a Lagos that no one, regardless of where he or she comes from, will be intimidated. We will run a Lagos where every hardworking Lagosian, irrespective of his or her root will have economic empowerment and thrive in commerce. This is what we promise, this is what we will do.’’ Sanwo-Olu said.

Finally, Sanwo-Olu congratulated the National body of the All Progressives Congress as well as all candidates of the party that won positions into the Upper and Lower Chambers of the National Assembly, saying their victory will help to fast track development in the country.

Ayo Midele/Editor

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ICANN uniqueness is Internet evolution remains open - Crocker

ITRealms:

The development of the Internet has remained opened since the evolution started, reports ITRealms.

The chairman, Board of Directors, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Dr. Steve Crocker made this disclosure at the session by the Africa Regional At-Large Organisation (AFRALO) at the ongoing ICANN59 public meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday.

Crocker, a long standing member of the Internet development described it as a bit complicated and complex especially novice.

He noted that with the ICANN community there are sets of people who daily contribute to the development of the Internet and how it works including the AFRINIC, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

As said by him, one of the unique aspect of the internet development is that from onset, it has remained open unlike the development of telephone.

This openness, he said, has helped the Internet to evolve to the most adoptable need of the people and end-users.

Remmy Nweke/ED, Ops

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Pix: Aziz Hilali, AFRALO Chair, Steve Crocker, Chair ICANN board and Fatimata Seye Sylla incoming vice chair, AFRALO at the outreach @ICANN59

Telephone Recharge Cards, Vouchers remain banned - FG

ITRealms:

As part of measures to retrace recession currently in the country, the Federal Government (FG) has insisted that ban on imported telephone recharge cards and vouchers has not been lifted, reports ITRealms.

Confirming this to ITRealms, the spokesperson to the Finance Minister, Festus Akanbi said the ban on telephone recharge cards and vouchers as well as some electronics items like the second-hand refrigerators remained on the banned list as contained in the 2016 list.

FG also listed telephone recharge cards and vouchers as item No. 18 on the import prohibition list for the current year.

He said, the ban on the items was put in place by the government in 2016, as part of yearly efforts to control import, but is still in place as no new one has been provided for 2017.

According to reports by Independent, there are at list 25 items that were banned from being imported into Nigeria since 2016, stressing these include includes soaps, spaghetti and used fridges.

The full list comprised “Live or Dead Birds including Frozen Poultry H.S. Code 0105.1100 – 0105.9900, 0106.31.00.00 – 0106.39.00.00, 0207.11.00.00 – 0207.26.00.00 and 0210.99.00.00

Pork, Beef, H.S. Codes 0201.10.00.00 – 0204.50.00.00, 0206.10.00.00 – 0206.90.00.00, 0210.10.00.00 – 0210.20.00.00

Bird Eggs H.S. Code 0407.11.00.00 – 0407.90.00.00; excluding hatching eggs

Refined vegetable oil 1507.10.00.00-1516.20.90.00.but excluding refined linseed, castor and olive oil. Crude vegetable oil are however NOT banned from importation.

Cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose, in solid form containing added flavouring or colouring matter H. S. Code 1701.91.10.00 – 1701.99.90.00 in retail packs

Cocoa butter, Powder and cakes H.S. Codes 1802.00.00.00 – 1803.20.00.00, 1805.00.10.00 – 1805.00.90.00, 1806.10.00.00 – 1806.20.00.00 and 1804.00.10.00 – 1804.00.90.00

Spaghetti/Noodles H.S. Code 1902.11.00.00 – 1902.30.00.00

Fruit Juice in retail Packs H.S. Code 2009.11.10.00 – 2009.11.90.00 – 2009.90.90.00

Waters, including mineral waters and aerated Waters, containing added sugar or sweetening matter or flavoured, ice snow H.S. Codes 2201.10.10.00 – 2201.90.00.00, other non-alcoholic beverages H.S. Codes 2202.10.00.00 – 2202.90.90.00.(but excluding energy or health drinks – liquid dietary supplements e.g. Power Horse, Red Ginseng, etc)

H.S. Code 2202.90.10.00 and Beer and stout (Bottled, Canned or otherwise packed) H.S. Code 2203.00.10.00 – 2203.00.90.00.

Bagged Cement H.S. Code 2523.29.00.00

Medicament falling under Headings 3003 & 3004 such as:

Paracetamol tablets Syrups

Cotrimozazole tablets and Syrups

Metronidazole tablets and Syrups

Chloroquine tablets and Syrups

Haematinic formulations:

(i) Ferrous sulphate and ferrous gluconate tablets

(ii) Folic acid tablets

(iii) Vitamin B Complex tablets (except modified release formulations).

Multivitamin tablets, capsules and syrups (except special formulations)

Aspirin tablets (except modified release formulations and soluble aspirin)

Magnesium trisilicate tablets and suspensions

Piperazine tablets and syrups

Levamisole tablets and syrups

Ointments penicillin/gentamycin

Pyrantel pamoate tablets and syrups

Intravenous Fluids (Dextrose, Normal Saline etc)

12. Waste pharmaceuticals H.S. Code 3006.92.00.00

13. Soaps and Detergents H.S. Code 3401.11.10.00 – 3402.90.00.00 in retail packs

14. Mosquito repellant Coils H.S. Code 3808.91.17.00 (mosquito coils)

15. Sanitary Wares of Plastics H.S. Code 3922.10.00.00 – 3922.90.00.00 and Domestic Articles and Wares of Plastic H.S. Code 3924.10.00.00 – 3924.90.90.00 (but excluding Baby Feeding Bottles 3924.90.20.00) and (flushing cistern and waterless toos toilets).

16. Rethreaded and used Pneumatics tyres but excluding used trucks tyres for rethreading of size 11.00 x 20 and above 4012.20.10.00

17. Corrugated paper and Paper boards H.S. Code 4808.10.00.00 and Cartons, boxes and cases made from Corrugated paper and Paper boards H.S. Code 4819.10.00.00,

Toilet paper, Cleansing or facial tissue H.S. Code 4818.10.00.00 – 4818.90.00.00 excluding baby diapers and incotinent pads for adult use 9619.00.22.00 and Exercise Books H.S. 4820.20.00.00

18. Telephone Recharge Cards and Vouchers 4911.99.91.00

19. Carpets and other textile floor coverings falling under H.S. Code 5701.10.00.00 – 5705.00.00.00

20. All types of footwears, bags and suitcases, H.S. Code 6401.10.90.00 – 6405.90.90.00 and 4202.11.90.00-4202.99.90.00 but excluding safety shoes used in oil industries, sports shoes, canvass shoes and all Completely Knocked Down (CKD), blanks and parts.

21. Hollow glass bottles of a capacity exceeding 150 mls (0.15 litres) of all kinds used for packaging beverages by Breweries and other beverages and drinks company H.S. Code 7010.90.49.00 and 7010.90.31.00.

22. Used compressors H.S. Code 8414.30.90.00, Used Air Conditioners H.S. Codes 8415.10.10.00 – 8415.90.90.00 and used Fridges/Freezers H.S. Code 8418.10.10.00 – 8418.69.00.00

23. Used motor vehicles above 15 years from the Year of manufacture H.S. Code 8703.10.00.00 – 8703.90.00.00

24. Furniture H.S. Code 9401.1000.00 – 9401.9000.99 and 9403.1000 – 9404.9000, but excluding Baby walkers, laboratory cabinets such as microscope table, fume cupboards, laboratory benches (9403), stadium chairs, height adjustment device, base sledge, seat frames and control mechanism, arm guide and head guides. Also excluded are; skeletal parts of furniture such as blanks, upholstered or unfinished part of metal, plastics, veneer, chair shell etc.”

25. Ball point pen and parts including refills (excluding tip)

Chuks Egbune with additional report from Independent

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Nigeria’s financial sector faces Gamarue threats, mobile devices remain high priority - CheckPoint

ITRealms:

The top malware in Nigeria in the month of May has been revealed to be on financial sector, known as Gamarue, just as attacks on mobile devices remain high-priority, reports ITRealms.

The Check Point Software Technoogies latest report, the malware, Gamarue, is a modular bot that hides in trusted processes and could be used to harvest financial information.

According to the Area Manager for East and West Africa at Check Point Software Technologies, Mr. Rick Rogers, attacks against mobile devices also remained a high priority as Android malware HummingBad persisted in the overall top 10 of malware attacks across all platforms during the period.

“In both Kenya and Nigeria, Hummingbad ranks as the fifth most common malware form,” the checklist revealed, pointing out that this is happening despite only being discovered by Check Point researchers in February.

“It has rapidly become commonly used; indicating hackers view Android mobile devices as weak spots in enterprise security and as potentially high reward targets,” Rogers said.

He further believes that both of these threats are significant in the African context as Android phone sales and banking inclusion continue to move up the ladder.

“As Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) continues to be a trend and smartphone penetration on the continent grows, companies are at an increased risk from Hummingbad in particular, and other malware. Combined with the growth in malware family numbers overall, this represents a significant business risk. Enterprises of all sizes must educate themselves on the security threats they face and invest in solid measures to protect their networks and corporate data,” Rogers said.

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