AI in Nigeria unveils InnovateAI 2026: Driving responsible AI for Africa’s future - ITREALMS

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AI in Nigeria, the country’s foremost platform for artificial intelligence advocacy and development, has announced the third edition of its flagship annual conference, InnovateAI, set to hold in Lagos in 2026, reports ITREALMS.

Themed “Responsible AI Beyond Innovation,” the event is expected to mark a defining chapter in Africa’s technological journey.

Who or what is responsible for Hajj deaths? - ITREALMS

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The debate:
As the death toll rises, debate is raging over whether bad organization, weather or gate-crashing pilgrims are to blame for more than 1,000 reported deaths in Saudi Arabia during the annual Hajj religious gathering.

Muslim pilgrims use umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun as they arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj.

FG targets 10,000 IT heads @MDAs with responsible data management course - ITREALMS

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The Federal Government of Nigeria has concluded plans to upskill heads of Information Technology (IT) in the nation's Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) through a course on Responsible Data Management, targeting some 10,000 public servants, reports ITREALMS.

Disclosing this in a press statement available to ITREALMS and endorsed by the Head, Research & Development at the National Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr. Tolulope Pius-Fadipe, said that the four months free course is in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, through NDPC office and Data.Org.

28 nations endorse safe, responsible AI development @Bletchley Declaration - ITREALMS

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The leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) nations convened for the first time to reach a world-first agreement at Bletchley Park with a shared understanding of the opportunities and risks posed by frontier AI and the need for governments to work together to meet the most significant challenges, reports ITREALMS.

The Bletchley Declaration on AI safety sees 28 countries from across the globe including in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as the EU, agreeing to the urgent need to understand and collectively manage potential risks through a new joint global effort to ensure AI is developed and deployed in a safe, responsible way for the benefit of the global community.

NCC: We're not responsible for monitoring social media contents - ITREALMS

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said it is not the regulator of the contents of the social media networks that many stakeholders have complained about.

The submission came during a recent visit of the National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN), led by its Executive Secretary, Blessing Akinsolotu, who sought the intervention of the Commission on the worrisome and misleading content of social media platforms.

Lux Tera: Catalyzing responsible leadership and informed citizenship - ITREALMS

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In the build-up to the 2023 general elections, the Network and Advocacy Group of Lux Tera Leadership Foundation has been at the forefront of organisations working assiduously to drive citizenship education. It has organised various leadership training programmes, targeted campaigns, public enlightenment programmes, youth development initiatives, and community-based initiatives. The Foundation has also organised developmental workshops, in the course of which it generated and spread advocacy materials, to guide the citizenry toward informed political decision-making.

One of the tools it has deployed most effectively is the media, especially through the facilitation of television discussion programmes in this regard. Besides its own branded television programme, it has also, on various occasions and through its programme partners and members of its Think-Tank, expanded the frontiers of national discourse through the deployment and appearance of third parties to drive its developmental narratives, and the one goal of creating a better society, on various media platforms.

Inherited colonial administrative system responsible for Africa’s setback, says Ford Foundation - ITREALMS

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The Ford Foundation has identified legacy of the colonial administrative system which was inherited by African government and which no administration has had the political will to address, as responsible for setback on the continent.

The Regional Director for West Africa, Ford Foundation, Dr Chichi Aniagolu-Okoye stated this while delivering a paper with the theme, Social Media Regulation: Insecurity and Elections Accountability in Nigeria’, at the 4th annual anniversary lecture of Penpushing Media, held in Abeokuta.

Elombah.com, a responsible media, not a terrorist organization - Ogannah

ITREALMS:

Elombah.com has been described as a responsible media organization and not a terrorist, neither is it championing Biafra terrorism, as being alleged in some quarters, reports ITRealms.

The President, Online Publishers Association of Nigeria (OPAN), Mr. Austyn Ogannah gave this description while responding to arraignment of Elombah.com and some of its senior editorial team on Thursday, insisting Elombah.com is a dependable media organization.

“Elombah.com is a responsible media organization. It is not a terrorist organization and neither is it championing Biafra terrorism,” he declared.

ITRealms gathered that Ogannah concerns arose from claims by the Nigeria Police Force of its members conspiracy to commit terrorism offences and cybercrime because over an opinionate article on their website, which the police see as uncomplimentary and offensive.

Hence, the Nigerian Police today, Thursday arraigned Timothy Elombah and Daniel Elombah over allegations of terrorism and cybercrime in allegation to cyber stalking, cyber bullying and for ‘championing Biafra terrorism’.

Ogannah, therefore, called on the police to withdraw the “spurious charges” without delay and stop harassing journalists for doing their constitutionally backed assignments. 

ITRealms further gathered that a four-count charge filed at the Federal High Court 5 in Abuja by the Police revealed the Elombah brothers are being charged for cyber bullying and cyber stalking the Inspector General Of Police, Ibrahim Kpotum Idris.

Ogannah said its worrisome by the police’s claim that the accused who are carrying out their social responsibility, which is enshrined in the constitution, intend to “create native war and lead to breakdown of law in the country.”

“The claim is not only ridiculous, but also disgraceful of the police force under the care of Idris,” he declared.

Ogannah said in the statement: “It is laughable that the police force under whose watch 110 female teenage students were kidnapped from their dormitory at the Government Girls Technical Science College, Dapchi, Yobe State, can shamelessly descend so low to the extent of filing fabricated charges against the two journalists who are contributing their own quota to National development.

“The reputable media organization has stated that they have nothing to do with the publication in question, because it was neither written by the Editor or Publisher or any staffer and there is nothing in Elombah.com that promotes terrorism in Nigeria.

“It is to be noted that the online medium has published series of articles against the activities of Boko Haram in the country and other acts of terrorism, so linking it with the activities of IPOB is a joke taken too far,” he said.

Nonye Dom/GEE

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Dino Recall: TETFUND probe not responsible for halt

ITRealms:

The stoppage of the recall request on a member of the National Assembly, Senator Dino Melyae has no business with the recent call by a Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to probe the chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Mahmoud Yakubu during his tenure at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), reports ITRealms.

Investigations revealed that INEC had petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, for his intervention on the ruling of an Abuja High Court, suspending the request until determination of the suit before it, even as Court has adjourned till September.

INEC noted that the constitution allows for 90 days from the date of submission of the petition to INEC till completion but the adjournment will make that unrealizable.

"The commission has also instructed its lawyers to approach the Supreme Court with the target of immediately vacating the order", INEC source said.

ITRealms sources in the Senate hinted that the information leading to the motion already had specific companies mentioned and specific projects, adding that the contracts were not awarded under Yakubu who left office in 2012.

"All the targeted contracts were awarded by Prof. Suleiman R and the current Executive Secretary Dr. Abdullahi Baffa", the source said.

It was learnt that some staff of TETFUND who were not happy with the handling of the award of contracts by Prof Suleiman Bogoro gave out the information.

They alleged that TETFUND which was reputed for not having any abandoned projects prior to Bogoro’s appointment suddenly had abandoned projects littered everywhere while payments were made above the threshold and against the TETFUND model which ensured that monies were only paid according to work done.

"INEC will commence the recall process immediately it gets a reprieve from the Court of Appeal and allow the people the opportunity for their voice to be heard. Mahmoud who is currently in Sierra Leone on official assignment is not bothered about the Senate probe and it is not in any way influencing his decisions, role and activities as the Chairman of Nigeria’s election management umpire.

"INEC as a law-abiding agency is under obligation to obey orders of Court even when the commission is not comfortable with such orders or until such orders are upturned on appeal" the source said.

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