NCC, FCCPC, PwC engage industry on telecom competition study in Nigeria - ITREALMS

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Key industry actors converged Tuesday in Lagos to assess the current state of competition in Nigeria’s telecommunications market, with a focus on the voice and data segments that continue to drive subscriber growth and revenue across the sector, reports ITREALMS.

The meeting, held as a stakeholders’ forum at the Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja, brought together the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as technical partners in the study. 

Study reveals emergency vaccination cuts infectious disease deaths by 60% - ITREALMS

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A groundbreaking study has found that emergency vaccination responses to cholera, Ebola, measles, meningitis, and yellow fever outbreaks have reduced deaths by nearly 60% on average between 2000 and 2023, reports ITREALMS.

The study, conducted by Burnet Institute in collaboration with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, also estimated that these efforts generated at least $32 billion in economic benefits.

Nigerian Army Kicks Off 2025 Study Period, Focuses on Capacity Building - ITREALMS

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The Nigerian Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC NA) has kicked off its 2025 study period, with a focus on capacity building and effective training for joint military operations, reports 

ITREALMS.

The event, which took place at the TRADOC NA Auditorium in Minna, brought together top military officers, experts, and stakeholders to discuss pressing security challenges and strategies for improving training.

Corporate Blackmail: My story as case study by Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman Zinox Group - ITREALMS

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An end-of-year inspirational talk delivered on 14th December, 2024 to his select mentees of young entrepreneurs in Nigeria monitored in Lagos, Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh advised them not to lose hope in the Nigerian economy, as he projects that the country shall start returning to a comfortable zone from the 3rd quarter of 2025, he also warned them to apply greater caution in transactions with persons and corporates of questionable character, stressing why due diligence and being local are both critical and an added advantage. Below are excerpts from the lecture.

The new fraud is corporate and Personal blackmail, which my companies and I have fallen victim to. I am sure you have read some in the newspapers where CEOs of responsible corporations in Nigeria are tagged fraudsters. This is the work of blackmailers, and they partner with a few blogs, engage some innocent respected law firms for hyping and a few government officials to achieve their set objectives to destroy your corporate and personal reputations. These negative online materials are then lifted by Google, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms so that when people search your organisation or personal names, you are seen as a crook. This is with the intent to destroy your brand and affect your credit rating globally.

Study unveils RansomHub dominates Lockbit Falls, Ransomware landscape shifts - ITREALMS

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The Check Point Research (CPR)'s latest report reveals that ransomware remains the top cyber threat. RansomHub has quickly emerged as the fastest-growing group, operating through Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS).

As of September 2024, RansomHub accounted for 19 per cent of all ransomware victims published in shame sites, marking a shift in the cybercriminal landscape. Meanwhile, Lockbit, once dominant, has seen a significant decline, responsible for only 5 per cent of new victims, many of which were recycled from previous attacks.

ISOC study: Nigeria rakes in USD40m from IXPN services - ITREALMS

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The recent study by the Internet Society (ISOC) has rated the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) high, especially for saving the country some United States Dollars (USD) to the tune of 40 million, reports ITREALMS.

As at the time of this report, USD40m is about N31,200,000,000.

5G roll out: Stakeholders must get involved says study - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The challenges associated with rolling out 5G and improving mobile coverage cannot be addressed by mobile operators alone, but require close cooperation from stakeholders including politicians, regulators, municipalities, site owners, infrastructure providers, and users, reports ITREALMS.

This charge was contained in research note reviewing the lessons that Strand Consult conducted on the United States of America (USA), United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile, Denmark and other countries.

“It offers insight for operators and regulators facing such challenges, particularly to address municipalities and site owners which exploit the social process of deploying infrastructure for private gain. It’s time that the mobile industry to take the problem seriously and make resolving it a strategic priority,” part of the review read.

The newest Strand Consult´s research project “How to maximize 5G: Best practices for infrastructure, regulation and business models” sighted by ITREALMS, identified the 10 requirements for 5G to be a success.

ITREALMS also reports that one of the key challenges for mobile operators today is to deploy 4G and 5G infrastructure on reasonable conditions.

ITREALMS report, that the study which took place on five (5) continents, saw many governments wanting a fast-tracked deployment of next generation networks, Strand Consult consistently finds a few city leaders which exploit the process for self-interest rather than maximizing the quality and coverage for the community as a whole.

The report also indicted political class over several promises to citizens to better mobile coverage and access to 5G, politicians are good to promise the people that their country will be first.

“It takes little effort to hold a press conference and make a press release, but it’s something else to build a multi-stakeholder policy that works. We can see this in the Nordic countries in which 5 prime ministers issued a proclamation that the Nordic countries would be first in 5G, but they never bothered to talk to the mobile operators in the region. The Nordic region may have been first to launch 2G, 3G and 4G, but when it comes to 5G, it is almost two years behind the United States and China,” the chief executive officer, John Strand said.

On the costs of building and running mobile infrastructure, ITREALMS reports that its one of the biggest costs for mobile operators.

“The cost can increase when cities and property owners realize that they have a monopoly on the site where a mobile operator needs to build. Cities restrict the process not only by increasing the rental price, but by imposing increased requirements for site application and approval, delaying the process for deployment by months, if not years. Strand Consult estimates that about one-fifth of planned infrastructure is either delayed or never built because local authorities make it too difficult to deploy,” he said.

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Study: Autonomous vehicles to shape future urban tourism - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) have been discovered with the capabilities to shape future urban tourism, reports ITREALMS.

In the first study of its kind, published in the Annals of Tourism Research, academics from the University of Surrey and the University of Oxford have examined how Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) may have a substantial impact on the future of urban tourism.

When we think of automated vehicles it seems to be a topic that sits firmly in science fiction, from cars with character in The Love Bug (1969) and Knight Rider (1982) to more recent practical representations in Minority Report (2002). However, according to the new research by Professor Scott Cohen (University of Surrey) and Dr Debbie Hopkins(University of Oxford), CAVs may be spotted on our roads as soon 2025 and could lead to far-reaching impacts on urban tourism.

The conceptual paper entitled Autonomous vehicles and the future of urban tourism imagined the impact of AVs in future urban tourism and focuses on the pros and cons of these impacts with regards to the transformation of urban space, the rise of autonomous taxis, and changes to city sightseeing and hospitality in the urban night.

Potential benefits include reduced traffic congestion and emissions, improved foreign car hire processes, reduced parking requirements and cheaper taxi fares. AVs may impact other industries in radical ways too, such as Amsterdam’s Red Light District, which could become operated out of moving AVs, and restaurants and hotels may encounter new competition in the form of AV dining cars and passengers sleeping in their moving vehicles.

AVs are also the subject of many concerns. More time spent in cars on longer journeys could facilitate greater urban sprawl and increase car dependency. AVs may reduce demand for train travel, coach tours, public transport and driven taxis - all resulting in future job losses. The potential for terrorism facilitated by AVs also raises genuine security fears.

Professor Cohen, Head of Tourism and Transport at Surrey’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, said: “This groundbreaking study will benefit urban planners, policy makers and the tourism and hospitality industries, who will face a range of threats and opportunities as AVs begin to reach the mass market in the coming decade.

“The visitor economy will be gradually transformed if AVs become fully automated and mainstream, leading to a future where hordes of small AVs could congest urban attractions, hop-on hop-off city bus tours may go out of business altogether, motorways between cities could fill at night with slow-moving AVs carrying sleeping occupants and commercial sex in moving AVs becomes a growing phenomenon.”

The paper calls for future work that provides context-specific analyses that may reveal alternative ways of thinking about AVs for urban tourism. Its release coincides this week with the World Travel Market and European Tourism Day on 7 November and acts as a timely reminder of the rising importance and significance of AVs in tourism to industry and policy makers.

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IFP, IIE unveil study on impact in Africa, spent $420m on fellowship in 10yrs - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The Institute of International Education (IIE) in collaboration with the Ford Foundation has unveiled a report highlighting the value and impact of fellowship programmes on marginalized communities on the continent, reports ITREALMS.

The report, ITREALMS gathered was part of a 10 -year alumni tracking study of the Ford Foundation’s International Fellowships Program (IFP), the single largest program commitment in its history, in which $420 million was invested.

Entitled “Transformational Leaders and Social Change: IFP Impacts in Africa and the Middle East” ITREALMS also gathered, provides important insights into the personal, organizational, community, and societal impacts of IFP alumni in Kenya, Nigeria, Palestine, and South Africa. The report shared the perspectives of 361 IFP alumni and local stakeholders.

In Kenya, the program featured 126 fellows, 60 women and 66 men. Pursuing degrees under the umbrella of social justice. 27% took up studies in International Development, 21% Education, 9% Public Health and 8% Environmental Science. According to the report, the programme has provided IFP alumni with important experiences of fairness in the socio - economic processes they had been through. For some, the experience opened their eyes to the fact that they had all along been victims of injustices.

They however, have been able to leverage their strong individual voices into a strong, coherent collective voice, actively contributing to their communities in diverse ways, spaces and levels.

Commenting on the results of the report, Maurice Makoloo, Ford Foundation’s Regional Director for Eastern Africa, said, “This study confirms that when every person irrespective of their background is provided with as equal opportunity as the next person, they develop their talents to incredible high levels. Ultimately, the investment in these individuals empower them to make significant contributions to advance our society. In many cases, IFP Fellows were the first people in their families and local communities to obtain post-graduate degrees, and in some cases, to obtain any degree at all.”

Between 2001 and 2013, IFP opened pathways to higher education for 4,305 social justice leaders from the world’s most vulnerable populations in 22 countries in the developing world. Despite being from four different locations, the alumni share certain commonalities: past challenges stemming from discrimination and economic hardship, their dedication to social justice activism, and their commitment to IFP in their home communities.

“Our approach goes beyond the self- reported accounts of the program beneficiaries, and goes directly to the communities that have been affected,” explained Mirka Martel, IIE’s Head of Research, Evaluation and Learning. “Very few studies can present data from this perspective.”

The results of this study show a largely positive impact, with alumni saying that their IFP experience increased their confidence, awareness, self-identity, commitment, leadership, and career advancement despite challenges upon re-entry at the end of the Fellowship. Some alumni returned to face career barriers endemic to their community and home region, such as high unemployment rates and other labor market challenges.

At an organizational level, alumni and community stakeholders said that these organizations now have a stronger work ethic, consistency, transparency, and accountability since alumni returned to their home communities. Stakeholders also said that the alumni they work with are more reliable and committed to getting the job done.

Interviews and focus groups with IFP alumni and community members showed that after IFP, alumni were more active and engaged in their communities, with a large majority of alumni returning to their home to apply the skills and knowledge they learned while on fellowship to improve their communities.

Alumni returned to focus on a wide range of areas including the criminal justice system, food security, rights for those with disabilities, and education expansion. Their contributions and impact in these areas can be seen in policy, programming, and planning. Many alumni in this region are now in high-level positions that they use to influence societal change. They also use their high-level positions to strategically challenge social norms and are key to moving social justice forward in their societies.

Additionally, results showed that family support for alumni varied depending on gender and aligned with their society’s expectations of women as traditional caretakers. Due to this expectation, many alumnae faced challenges making arrangements with their families so that they could participate in IFP.

IFP’s emphasis on transparency proved to be an inspiration to alumni. They hope to replicate similar models of transparency along with IFP’s commitment to social justice in their communities.

In all four locations, the results of the fieldwork showed that higher education is key to advancing social justice forward on a community and societal level.

One of the cross -cutting themes that emerged from the research was the profound impact that the program had on female alumni and their communities. The research showed that where the higher levels of marginalization that an alumna had experienced, the more of an impact their selection and participation in IFP had on their personal lives and on changing social norms in their communities.

“I never thought I was supposed to have an education or even allow my daughter to have an education,” a Nigerian alumna said. “I just thought that maybe when she finished secondary school, she will get married and she will be in her husband's home. But my perspective had changed, today my daughter is a Ph.D. holder and she is a lecturer in the university."

For Mohammed Bulle, an alumnus from Garissa county, for example, IFP has allowed him to have a more direct impact on Kenya’s food security policies through his work at the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC).

“IFP experience was inspiring,” a Palestinian alumna said, adding, “I try my best to be fair, supportive, and professional with people as IFP was fair and supportive to me.”

Overall, the report showcases the crucial role alumni now play as models and mentors in their home communities as advocates for social justice. Results showed that this was especially true for female alumni where they were, many times, the first woman in their communities to have the opportunity to pursue their higher education goals.

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Pix: Ford Foundation Director- Eastern Africa, Maurice Makoloo (right), goes through the publication with, Institute of International Education- Regional Director, Susan Silveus and Independent Research Consultant- Kenyatta University School of Economics, Dr. Emmanuel Manyasa. This was during the publication launch by Ford Foundation at Serena Hotel.

Study: Social media creating new class of African celebrities – ITREALMS Online

ITREALMS:

The role of social media cannot be over emphasized as it has been defined as a medium creating new set of class of media celebrities, reports ITRealms.

Social media has been defined as websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

The current study released at the weekend by the African Media Initiative (AMI) noted that social media is responsible for redefining the role and scope of media in society nowadays.

ITRealms, gathered that the study had described new media rangers especially bloggers as a new class of media celebrities on the continent.

“Social media is also responsible for redefining the role and scope of media in society. Bloggers have become a new class of media celebrities,” part of the study read.

Additionally, the study suggested that there is very little cross-border reporting by African media, resulting in limited knowledge of the continent by Africans, reports ITRealms.

The “Reporting Africa” study made available to ITRealms, points out that most of the news about Africa comes from sources external to the continent and that these ultimately determine what has been referred to as “the Africa narrative.”

AMI Chief Executive Officer Roukaya Kasenally in a pre-launch statement made available to ITRealms, said they had wanted to figure out how Africa is covered by media on the continent and the factors that determine such coverage.

She pointed out that they were concerned, “with questions about how media in Africa contribute to the creation of a common understanding of the continent’s realities beyond narratives based on preconceived ideas and stereotypes.”

The report, she said, underscored the fact that global media organizations constitute a powerful vehicle for not only shaping the global agenda, but also for framing the lens through which Africa is perceived by Africans and the world.

Therefore, social media in Africa has become an imperative part of the media that cannot be ignored, the study emphasized.

Also, ITRealms gathered that the research sought to figure out what currently prevails and if there are any compelling dialogues that are reported and can collectively define the Africa story. It was informed by empirical data gleaned from published reports from across the region and responses provided by editors to a range of questions from AMI.

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AMI study says ‘Africans know little about their continent’ – ITREALMS Online

ITREALMS:

The latest report released at the weekend by the AfricanMedia Initiative (AMI) suggested that there is very little cross-border reporting by African media, resulting in limited knowledge of the continent by Africans, reports ITRealms.

The “Reporting Africa” study made available to ITRealms, points out that most of the news about Africa comes from sources external to the continent and that these ultimately determine what has been referred to as “the Africa narrative.”

The report underscored the fact that global media organizations constitute a powerful vehicle for not only shaping the global agenda but also for framing the lens through which Africa is perceived by Africans and the world.

Also, the research sought to figure out what currently prevails and if there are any compelling dialogues that are reported and can collectively define the Africa story. It was informed by empirical data gleaned from published reports from across the region and responses provided by editors to a range of questions from AMI.

“We wanted to figure out how Africa is covered by media on the continent and the factors that determine such coverage,” said AMI Chief Executive Officer Roukaya Kasenally in a pre-launch statement. “We were concerned,” she pointed out, “with questions about how media in Africa contribute to the creation of a common understanding of the continent’s realities beyond narratives based on preconceived ideas and stereotypes.”

The study sought to deepen overall understanding of the elements that drive media coverage within and beyond national borders, informs editorial choices, and shapes local and regional perceptions of the continent.

It brought out the fact that low investments in media and limited professional capacity in many countries had resulted in persistent dependence on foreign news sources, giving rise to a limited focus in African newspapers on stories that enrich the African agenda and emphasize shared experiences.

It emerged from the study that media leaders believe that readers and audiences prefer interesting stories which, in the African context, means, in the words of one of the respondents, “intriguing tales of failure and defeat against the forces of nature”.

“If we are going to reimagine Africa’s image and change the narrative,” concluded the reports co-author, Eric Chinje, “we would have to figure out innovative ways of significantly increasing investments in media and use technology to source content from counterpart media across borders in Africa. There must be a genuine home-grown effort to define and shape the narrative in ways that reflect the diversity of voices and images of a continent on the move.”

Wondering if current coverage of Africa is informed by 21st century realities or pre-conceived ideas from another era, co-author Wangethi Mwangi emphasized the need for more credible and contextualized reporting by both regional and global news correspondents. He noted that “continued reliance on foreign news agencies will ensure that the persistence of poor leadership in a handful of countries will continue to provide a rich pool from which to source negative reports that define the entire continent”.

African media is primarily national in outlook and focus, with rarely more than a page or two in national dailies devoted to news about other countries in the region.

An important gathering of heads of state and government took place during the period under study. None of the issues on the agenda of the meeting received continent-wide coverage or in any significant group of countries. Indeed, the media was not a reliable source of information or knowledge about the African Union – the pan-African institution that hosted the event.

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OTT study identifies key challenges - ITREALMS Online

ITREALMS:

The latest study on over-the-top services (OTTs) has identified some key challenges militating against customer optimization of this service, reports ITRealms.

An over-the-top (OTT) is any application or service that provides a product over the Internet and bypasses traditional distribution.

The study conducted by the Commonwealth TelecommunicationsOrganisation (CTO), ITRealms gathered, showed that the majority of stakeholders recognize and appreciate the innovative nature of over-the-top services (OTTs).

However, there are some key OTT challenges militating against its optimization, including “Licensing obligations, Taxation (jurisdiction), Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE), Data protection and privacy, net neutrality, Interconnection, Universal Service Fund (USF).

They study also recommended the creation of favourable Information and Communication Technology (ICT) environment in terms of policies, regulations and legislations; Adopting OTT services as being part of the App economy as innovation needs to be encouraged; Encouraging countries to determine suitable frameworks through regional and international considerations; and Developing a national cybersecurity strategies, to include robust legal structures/instruments and governance to address data protection and privacy.

Further, ITRealms gathered that the study was said to have been well received and adopted by the Commonwealth ICT ministers during the CTO ICT Ministers Forum 2018.

The CTO has committed to assist the commonwealth countries to develop further internal OTT frameworks for the Commonwealth Countries. 

ITRealms recalls that Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) is the oldest and largest Commonwealth intergovernmental organisation in the field of information and communication technologies. With a diverse membership spanning developed and least developed countries, small island developing states, and more recently also the private sector and civil society, the CTO aims to become a trusted partner for sustainable development for all through ICTs. More information about us here.

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Termination rate: NCC to unveil study outcome to stakeholders

ITREALMS:

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has concluded plans to unveil the study on Cost based Study for the Determination of Mobile Voice Termination Rates in Nigeria to the stakeholders, reports ITRealms.

The study, ITRealms gathered, was conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and would be unveiled to Stakeholders at the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Cappa, Oshodi, Lagos, on Thursday, February 1, 2018.

ITRealms reports that the forum would avail stakeholders the opportunity to listen to the findings of PwC in the study and discuss issues of concern to all parties.

Also, ITRealms reports that the forum would serve as a prelude to the release of the report and the Determination of the Mobile Termination Rates (MTR) by the Commission.

ITRealms further gathered that the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta and other Directors of the Commission would host stakeholders at the forum.

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Broadband: NCC outlines benefits of cost-based pricing, data services study

ITREALMS:

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has outlined some benefits of thorough study to determine the cost based pricing for retail broadband and data services in Nigeria, reports ITRealms.

According to the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the outcome of the report to be carried out by KPMG would facilitate setting of guidelines for the regulation of the pricing of retail broadband and data services in Nigeria and specifically determine Price cap and floor where necessary.

“To develop a regulatory pricing model based on the peculiarity of the Nigerian broadband and data services market coupled with international best practices; and design the framework for collation of data that will be used for the determination; as well as to determine the appropriate cost modeling technique and methodology to be adopted,” he said.

In addition, he underscored the fact that the study would assist in appropriating pricing regulatory measures to be adopted eventually; the need for ex-ante and ex-post regulation with respect to pricing in the retail broadband and data market segments.

It is expected, he said, that the study would enable the development of a suitable definition of big and new entrant and or small operators, if necessary; just as it would avail the  conduct of a general assessment of the retail broadband cum data market segment with a view of determining the appropriate methodology to be adopted; and to design a cost model that is suitable for determining retail prices for broadband and data services taking into cognizance the macro-economic, technology and technical relevant factors.

Further, he disclosed that the study would result in the determination of a uniform pricing structure within the broadband and data segment; ensuring effective competition in the broadband and data market segment; guaranteeing affordability and accessibility of broadband and data services in Nigeria.

Facilitating inflow, development and growth of the broadband market segment; and above, “the stimulation of further economic growth considering the catalytic role broadband services plays.”

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Why internet growth in Africa is slow - Study

ITRealms:

A new study has revealed why the Internet growth on the African continent is slow, just as lack of local content is worsening the decline, reports ITRealms.

The study on “Promoting Content in Africa” led by the Internet Society examined Internet access and availability to get people online, was released at the ongoing African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) holding in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

ITRealms gathered from the co-author of the report and Internet Society Fellow, Bastiaan Quast, that they looked critically at infrastructure, mostly in mobile networks, stressing that Internet adoption rates are slowing in many countries because users lack compelling reasons to connect.

In addition, Quast revealed, content and services are the main factors in making the Internet desirable, especially when the subject matter is relevant and in a language that users could easily understand.

Noting that lack of local content and services are affecting the number of new online users in Africa.

“In Sub-Saharan Africa in particular, local language content is key to bringing new users online, as many are not comfortable reading in English or French” part of the report read. 

The study also outlined the barriers to the development of local content and offers recommendations to improve local content availability and distribution.

In the Sub-Saharan countries, for instance, ITRealms reports that the majority of international and locally developed content are hosted outside the country, typically overseas. 

This, ITRealms reports, resulted in slow Internet speeds and higher access costs, just as in Rwanda for example, of all websites using the .RW domain names, only a small fraction were hosted in Rwanda.

“The majority of sites are hosted in Europe and the U.S.  Hosting content locally is key to making the Internet faster and more affordable for users,” ISOC said in the study.

As mobile financial services are becoming increasingly available in the African continent, monetizing mobile content is still a major challenge.

“Faster and better Internet access can help entrepreneurs create new local content including services and apps, but developers face barriers when it comes to payment mechanisms in order to monetize content,” Quast said.

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Sleep disruptions pattern lead to suicide increase - Study

ITRealms:

The link between sleep problems and suicidal thoughts and behaviours has been made starkly clear in new research from The University of Manchester, published in the BMJ Open, reports ITRealms.

In this study, conducted by researchers from the University's School of Health Sciences alongside the University of Oxford,  18 participants were interviewed about the role sleep problems have on suicidal tendencies.

Three inter-related pathways to suicidal thoughts were identified arising from sleep problems. The first was that being awake at night heightened the risks of suicidal thoughts and attempts, which in part was seen as a consequence of the lack of help or resources available at night.

ITRealms gathered that secondly, the research found that a prolonged failure to achieve a good night's sleep made life harder for respondents, adding to depression, as well as increasing negative thinking, attention difficulties and inactivity.

Finally, respondents said sleep acted as an alternative to suicide, providing an escape from their problems. However, the desire to use sleep as an avoidance tactic led to increased day time sleeping which in turn caused disturbed sleeping patterns - reinforcing the first two pathways.

Donna Littlewood, lead author of the study, said the research has implications for service providers, such as health care specialist and social services.

"Our research underscores the importance of restoring healthy sleep in relation to coping with mental health problems, suicidal thoughts and behaviours," Littlewood said.

In addition, the lead author said, night time service provision should be a key consideration within suicide prevention strategies, given that this study shows that those who are awake in the night are at an increased risk of suicide.

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Internet Governance: Tracking Governance on Social Media - Anambra State as a Case Study

Commentary@ITRealms:

Being the Text of the Address presented by Rtn Ifeanyi Aniagoh, the Senior Special Assistant on Social Media to Gov Willie Obiano of Anambra State at the 2016 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum hosted at Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Lagos on Thursday through Friday, June 2-3, 2016 by DigitalSENSE Africa in conjunction with Nigerian Communications Commission and National Information Technology Development Agency.

Excerpts:

Protocol:

It gives great pleasure to be in your midst at the moment, I want to say that I'm honoured.

We are all lucky to be born in a generation where the internet has become a tool for letting out and getting information.

We are in this unique gathering to talk about how the internet should be governed to create viable opportunities for Nigerians.

The term ‘governance’ refers to an encompassing set of guiding rules and norms that guide any area of human activity, rules that may be formal or informal, and are applicable to virtually any societal activity, whether ‘market governance', ‘political governance' or ‘internet governance.’

Internet governance covers a wide range of issues, from day-to-day technical and operational workings of the internet to public policy issues such as combating crime.

Social Media refer to the means of interaction among a people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas through virtual platforms.

Some examples of Social Media platforms include Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter, Digg, Blogs and Websites.

Tracking refers to approaches that allow the concerned to record and follow the progress of any identified problem or "issue" until the challenge is resolved.

Tracking of Governance provides us with a way to report issues, track progress and know how, why, when and who is responsible for resolving issues in our society as well as monitoring government activities.

There are a lot of persons interested in tracking governance; you and I, civil society organizations, donor agencies and government think-tanks.

My role in this conference is to do justice to the "Tracking of Governance on the Social Media using Anambra State as a Case Study"... How do the administration of Gov Willie Obiano bring "government" to the consciousness of Onye Anambra and other concerned persons?

Why Anambra?

While it's the duty of the organizers of this forum to make open their reason for choosing Anambra for this study, we are all witnesses to the fact that the eastern State known as the "Light of the Nation" is a state with many firsts.

Today, Anambra State tops the chart in terms of Nigerian states with appreciable engagement on the Social Media and e-governance.

This is as a result of ndi Anambra's unquenchable desire to find solutions through enterprises; and the governor's natural inclination to empowering young persons who are the major stakeholders in this internet age.

What do we do in Anambra State?  Here, "we" refers to Anambra State Government.

To ensure a full participation of ndi Anambra in governance and to help the people to keep track of what the government is doing, we run the following programmes:

1. WhatsApp Session - a novel network of 87,000 persons connected together with the rare ability to share information and receive feedback within 60 seconds;

2. Anambra Scorecard - a 2-hour per week online live programme anchored on Facebook where the political office holders and stakeholders are "put on the spot" for the people to ask questions directly from all over the world;

3. Social Media Hangout - a monthly offline gathering of online dwellers in Anambra State to interact, share experiences and learn new skills aimed at promoting the positive use of the Social Media... Here we discourage e-thuggery;

4. Public Court - a weekly online poll spread across Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, etc, to get direct feedback on the people's perception and opinion on government's policies, projects and programs.

In addition to these self-assessing programmes, we also maintain broadcast of the government's activities through Facebook, YouTube, Emails, Blogs and other Social Media platforms.

There are two important things to note:

1. These channels provide the people with the opportunity to be in the know about the governance of their State ... Giving them the privilege to ask questions and keep tract of the day-to-day running of their government;

2. You can only sustain these channels if you have quality programmes and achievements to show... An insincere or non-performing government cannot survive the volume of criticisms therein.

What do others do?  "Others" refers to non-government stakeholders in the Anambra State Project ... The CSOs, NGOs, critics, the citizens and the opposition.

The Social Media presence of Anambra State Government:

1. Gives the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)  and NGOs the time-saving access to relevant facts and figures enabling them to keep track of the performance index of Anambra State Government;

2. Gives the critics the open platform to constructively engage the government by sharing their opinions on how better the State can be run... Note that criticisms are not insults or online bullying;

3. Gives ndi Anambra and concerned persons secure and confidential routes to send feedback directly to the government of the State;

4. Gives the citizens an alternate and very reliable means of resolving emergencies.

Ultimately, the recognition of the role of New Media in governance which informed the decision of Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra State to engage a Senior Special Assistant on Social Media, has given Ndi Anambra, at home and in diaspora, the rare opportunity to partake in government of their State.

One may then ask ...  What are the advantages of tracking governance through Social Media? The unlimited list of these merits as being experienced in Anambra State can be summarised thus:

1. People-oriented Governance - A government like we have in Anambra State being aware that the people are constantly watching its activities endeavours to provide what the people need, listens to their demands and alleviates their plights;

2. Purposeful Leadership - A careful appraisal of the giant strides of Gov Willie Obiano of Anambra within 2 years in office explains this benefit... A government that consciously allows self to be publicly assessed at all times, as is obtainable in Anambra State, can only survives by providing purposeful leadership;

3. Job Creation - The programmes I enumerated earlier gives direct jobs to 41 young persons while Anambra Social Media Hangout trains at least 20 online entrepreneurs per month... Imagine the indirect jobs being created through the government MDAs and the CSOs/NGOs that follow the government on the internet to track its progress;

4. All-inclusive Democracy - What else will a democratic society like ours wish for than what we have in Anambra State, where everyone has the privilege to participate in the governance of the State and all citizens enjoy the right to Freedom of Information (FOI).

While e-governance is not a cure-all for modern challenges of governance, it is a powerful enabling tool that has aided governments achieve some of their development and administrative reform goals.

It has also helped major stakeholders of good governance to keep track of the progress being made by governments of the day.

Generally, many states in Nigeria are now realizing the need for e-governance in order to provide people-focused, cost effective, and easy to use services for citizens and enterprises and to improve the internal workings of government.

Similarly, many governance tracking applications have emerged rapidly (such as yourbudgit.com, tracka.ng, etc).

Thus,  it's very evident that if other states and the Federal Government can emulate Anambra State on the effective use of the internet in governance while allowing free tracking of government activities by interested persons, more Nigerians will be able to access and assess the government’s services without necessarily going to the government office or contacting by telephone.

The use of the internet will reduce the negative attitude Nigerians have towards government agencies because not many people enjoy interacting with their government; and delivery of government services from any place to citizens.

If well-orchestrated, e-governance can also bring an improved citizens’ access to information and services, increase efficiency in service and information delivery to citizens and other stakeholders as well prepare our nation for digital democracy which involves e-voting.

As a takeaway, I encourage every young person here not to stop at effectively using Social Media platforms but aim at developing better platforms ...

The e-government positions and the jobs being created by the need to track governance could be yours.

Thank you for listening.

Ifeanyi ANIAGOH, SSA to Gov Willie Obiano on Social Media.

@IfeanyiAniagoh

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
Pix 1: Ifeanyi Aniagoh, SSA on Social Media to Gov. Obiano presenting his paper on Internet Governance: Tracking Governance on Social Media.
Pix 2: L-R: Domain Name Business Manager, UpperLink Ltd, Mrs Irieti Chukwujama; President, Cyber Security Expert Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), Mr. Remi Afon;  Executive Director Operations, DigitalSENSE Africa, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke; Chairman of NDSF 2016 and President, Nigeria Computer Society,  Prof. Adesola Aderounmu; ;  Broadband and Converged Solution Manager, Phase3Telecom, Mr. Yemi Adedoyin, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Social Media, Anambra State, Mr. Ifeanyi  Aniagoh responding during question and answer session, at 2-day 2016 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum held at Digital Bridge Institute, Lagos.