Breaking News: AMCON closes Silverbird Galleria group over alleged N11bn loan

ITRealms:

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has closed several subsidiaries of Silverbird Group including the Silverbird TV, Gallaria, Cinemas across Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, reports ITRealms.

AMCON, ITRealms gathered, Thursday morning sealed the Abuja premises of Silverbird Galleria which belongs to Senator Ben Murray Bruce, according to The Punch.

At the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) the galleria houses the Abuja studio of the Radio and Television stations of the senator alongside his other business ventures.

In addition, ITRealms gathered that the seven storey building houses other businesses of private individuals like Shoprite, to name a few.

The AMCON seal on this property was through the assistance of law enforcement agencies around 8am following a court order secured by AMCON with security personnel seen at the entrance.

ITRealms gathered that the sealing of Silverbird Galleria was over alleged N11 billion loan from various Nigerian banks, which caused a signpost to be mounted at the entrance from AMCON stating that the building has been taken over by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria with inscription: AMCON Caveat Emptor: Possession Taken by Order of Court.

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Aleda partners Orange Money Service on money transfers to Africa

ITRealms:

Orange Money users in France can now transfer funds via their mobile phones to other Orange Money customers in the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal, some three West African countries through partnership with Aleda, reports ITRealms.

Marketing manager, Orange Money, Florence Le Bec confirmed this to ITRealms, saying that the French company specialising in paperless payment solutions and money transfers, has established itself as a key player in the sector with the recent launch of Orange Money.

The Orange Money mobile payment solution, she noted was launched in France on June 15, thanks to the expertise of both Orange and Aleda, the first distributer to deploy this service in France. 

“It will enable Orange users to transfer funds via their mobile phones to family and friends in the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal as well as mainland France,” Le Bec said.

According to her, what Aleda brings to the Orange Money project includes to take advantage of  Orange's long-standing wholesale partner for the distribution of pre-paid telephone offers, Aleda provides added value in more than one area of this project such as with its comprehensive network of outlets, firmly established at the heart of communities, proved to be vitally useful in launching the Orange Money service. 

Aleda, ITRealms reports, provides approximately 4,000 independent close-to-the-customer points of sale for paperless transactions such as mobile top-ups, electronic money codes or money transfer.

Also, she said, Aleda is a leading telephone services wholesaler in France authorised by operators to sell pre-paid packages on its website, thus Aleda has great expertise in the digital world. 

Pascal Roudier, chief executive of the Aleda Group, explained that “The technological innovations developed by our teams have been an accelerating factor in implementing Orange Money in France.    Our Sepia app for tablets and smartphones allows users to be identified, while our dedicated apps enable the required level of transaction management."

 
Nenye Dom/GEE

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Intel lauds NPF on PC acquisition programme for officers

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Intel Corporation has lauded the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) over the launch of a Computer Acquisition Programme (CAP) for the men and women of the force, reports ITRealms.

Country Manager, Intel Corporation, Mr. Olunbunmi Ekundare gave this commendation Wednesday in Lagos, at the Zone 2 Police Command during the formal launch of the programme.

He described the programme as novel and first of its kind and urged other security agencies to take a cue from NPF in this regards.

“This is the first of its kind in this country to have computer acquisition programme with the support of the NPF Microfinance bank,” he said.

Ekundare also said that Intel is a chip-technology manufacturer, usually embedded in the computers and devices being used daily unknown to many.

He further said that the focus of Intel in the region is education through digital training and creation of jobs, stressing that when people well trained on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) they could create jobs and definitely employ other people.

The brand of computers on offer cuts across HP, Lenovo to name a few.

 

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Pix: IGP Rep speaking at the launch

Late Justice Tobi was exceptional jurist says Dickson

The Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Henry Seriake Dickson has described late legal icon and retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Justice Niki Tobi, as a jurist with exception, reports ITReams.

 

Dickson made this discription while paying tribute to the late jurist, describing his dead as a personal loss to him, the government and people of the State as well as the entire Ijaw nation.

"In his demise, the Ijaw nation and indeed Nigeria have lost one of its very best and he will be painfully missed by all," he said.

The governor in a condolence message to the family of the deceased, the government and people of Delta State, said Justice Niki Tobi was "a thoroughbred, highly principled, upright and intelligent personality, whose contributions to the legal profession and nation building would remain indelible in the history of Nigeria."

Dickson said he received the news of Justice Tobi’s death with shock, sadness and a great sense of loss.

As Chairman of the 2005 National Political Reforms Conference, under the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, Dickson said, Justice Tobi gave exceptional and enviable leadership to arguably the best brains in the land in the process of recreating a nation we could all truly call our own.

Justice Tobi, a native of Esanma in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State, died on June 19 2016, after a protracted illness at the age of 76 years.

 

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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WASSCE feat: Ikpeazu offers scholarship to 17 Abia students

ITRealms:

The Abia state Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has congratulated students and teachers in the state over the ranking of the state as the number one state in the May/June 2015 West African School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result as released by the West African Examination Council.

The Chief Press Secretary, Enyinnaya Appolos, said in a press statement available to ITRealms in recognition of the excellent  performance of the schools and students in the state's school system, said Ikpeazu has approved the award of tertiary education scholarship to the best students from each of the 17 local government areas of the state in any Nigerian tertiary institution.

Governor Ikpeazu has directed the Commissioner for Education, Professor Ikechi Mgboji, to forward to him the list of the best student from each LGA of the state in the 2015 WASSCE examination results to enable him.

The Governor also directed that, going forward, the best performing student in WASCE from each of the 17 LGAs will receive automatic tertiary education scholarship from the state government.

It will be recalled that West African Examination Council (WAEC) recently released details of the performance of students by state and Abia State came first as the best performing state, while 35 other states and Abuja queued behind.

Abia State has consistently maintained top position in the WASSCE performance chart in the past five years.

In results released for 2014 and 2013 Abia came second behind Anambra State but has now overtaken Anambra state as the overall best and 1st in the WASSCE performance chart for 2015 examinations. The State topped the chart with 33, 762 of its 52, 801 candidates, scoring 63.94 per cent.

The Governor is challenging the Commissioner, teachers and students in the state to ensure that the state maintains this top position, promising that he will do everything possible to ensure  much more improved students and teachers welfare that will enhance the performance of Abia students in future examinations.

Recall that Governor Ikpeazu recently donated 3 cars to the best primary teachers from each senatorial zone of the state.

Ikpeazu who was a University teacher prior to his emergence as Governor is also appealing to private individuals and organizations to support his "adopt a school" program and help his administration fast track infrastructural renewal in Abia Schools.

He is also committed to ensuring that the recently launched school feeding program, which the Abia State Government is doing in partnership with farmers in the state, is sustained.

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Nigeria, Ghana to partner on IT agenda

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigeria’s Information Technology (IT) clearinghouse and counterpart in Ghana, the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), has agreed to enter into partnership to boost IT agenda among the two countries, reports ITRealms.

Head, Corporate Affairs, NITDA, Mrs. Hadiza Umar, disclosed this in a press statement made asvailable to ITRealms, saying that the two agencies met over the weekend in Accra, Ghana to assess mutual areas of interest and how the two economic powerhouses in West Africa could leverage on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to better improve the economic potentials of these countries.

She also said both countries are to work on agreeable terms to define the nature and scope of the partnership to cover among others: human capital development, ICT startups and entrepreneurship schemes, local content, cybersecurity and smart city. The areas of cooperation will also cover mutual support for each countries IT related events or such public sector led IT events designed to draw investments and developments to the two countries.  

The acting Director-General /CEO of  NITDA, Dr Vincent Olatunji was quoted as stressing the need for both countries as neighbours and as developing countries to identify common goals and common strategies within the sub-region to approach issues as relating to IT “is both important and desirous now so as to raise the economic fortunes of our two countries.”

For his counterpart at NITA Ghana, Mr. George Atta-Boatang, they welcome a partnership with Nigeria and see it as exigent to actualising own mandate as a counterpart IT agency in Ghana.

“We consider partnership as an essential element of growth and look to maximising this partnership,” he said.

The meeting was facilitated by former acting Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Community on West Africa (ECOWAS), Dr. Sola Afolabi, who urged the two countries to accelerate the processes for collaborations at both bilateral, country-to-country level as well as regional level within the larger ECOWAS window.

NITDA DG was accompanied to the meeting by Head of Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Hadiza Umar and Head of Legal Services and Board Matters, Barr. Emmanuel Edet.

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Pix above: NITDA DG, Olatunji and NITA DG, Atta-Boatang

Breaking News: NCC sends names of potential Commissioners to Presidency

Breaking News @ITRealms:

In fulfillment of its statutory obligations, the leadership of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has sent list of potential Six Commissioners and one Executive Commissioner to the Presidency, reports ITRealms.

Presently, there is only one Executive Commissioner (Technical Services) Engr. Ubale A. Maska who has been working with the Executive Vice Chairman at the Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta.

Disclosing this in Lagos at a one-day forum on Corporate Governance while responding to question by ITRealms, the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said that a list has been compiled by his office and forwarded to the Presidency for consideration.

He also agreed that the appointment of these commissioners are essential and must cut across the six-geo-political zones of the country in addition to the two executive commissioners, would immensely facilitate the work of the Commission.

According to him, it would be fool handy to be discussing corporate governance in a forum like this without first of all ensuring that the NCC is in good standing in line with the statutes setting up the Commission, hence the list has since been dispatched to Presidency.

ITRealms gathered that the leadership of the Nigerian Communications Commission by law should consist of nine Commissioners made up of six Non-executive members, including the Chairman, representing each of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and three Executive members, including the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive and two Executive Commissioners.

He, therefore, urged corporate organisations within the sector to ensure compliance because NCC is now taking the issue more seriously, especially looking at Code of Corporate Governance for the telecoms industry published in 2014.

As said by him, the Code consists of 12 principles and was developed to protect the interest of investors and stakeholders in the industry as well as promote time-valued principles of accountability, responsibility, transparency, integrity and ethical conduct.

“No doubt, the Code has expanded the frontiers of accountability in the operation of companies in the sector,” he said, emphasizing however, that challenges still exist and cited for instance that the Code is declaratory in nature and implementation was initially voluntary across the industry, leading to violations.

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Nigeria’s telecom sector rakes in 8.83% to GDP

ITRealms:

Telecommunications sector contributed an estimated 8.83 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Nigeria, according to the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, reports ITRealms.

In his opening remarks at the Corporate Governance Forum hosted by the Commission at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja-Lagos, today, Prof. Danbatta, said that the liberalization of the telecommunications industry opened investment opportunities for both local and foreign companies, hence contributing significantly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He pointed out that though the economy regressed to -0.36 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, the telecommunications sector contributed in progressive and real terms, about 8.83 per cent to the GDP within the period under review.

This, he also said represents an increase of 0.5 per cent relative to the growth in the last quarter of 2015.

Similarly, EVC said, apart from attracting Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in excess of $38 billion and reflating the economy, the telecoms value chain, either formal or informal, have continued to create significant number of job opportunities for the teaming youths in the country.

“Other positive spin-offs include increasing local content and rising income per capita/per head for employees in the sector,” he said, stressing that NCC would not rest on its oars as the Commission is committed to sustaining and building on the formidable structures established over the years for the industry to thrive beyond current generation.

NCC, he said, desires an industry that will grow bigger, better and be more relevant to successive generations, just as he underscored the fact that the essence of today’s meeting centres on sharing of thoughts and perspectives on how to meet the commitment to the principles of inter-generational equity in the sector.

In addition, he said, the meeting examines how this generation would leave a lasting legacy of a strong and virile industry, fit for bequest to future generations.

It is in this regard, Danbatta said, that NCC in 2012 set up a multi-stakeholder Corporate Governance Working Group (CGWG) with membership drawn from across the nation’s telecom industry, the Commission and corporate governance practitioners, with a mandate to determine the industry’s needs and the best approach to be adopted in addressing corporate governance issues thereof.

“The CGWG developed the Code of Corporate Governance for the telecoms industry, which was published in 2014,” Danbatta said.

+Remmy +ITRealms DSA  

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Pix: Prof. Danbatta and Prof. Fabian Ajogwu at forum.

TD elevates Etukudoh, Igho-Orere, Ijogun

ITRealms:

The Board of Directors of Technology Distributions Ltd., (TD), foremost ICT distributors in the West African sub-region, has elevated Etiene Etukudoh as Managing Director (Solutions), Mrs. Adesuwa Igho-Orere as Executive Director (TD iLife) and Mrs. Gozy Ijogun as Assistant General Manager and Head of TD Mobile effective April 1st, 2016.

According to Chairman of the Board, Prof Anya O. Anya, all candidates were selected as a result of years of meritorious and credible performances delivered within the company to fill the vacant positions.

Mr. Etukudoh joined TD in March 2010, starting out as Executive Director (Sales and Marketing). In the last six years, he has worked on several transformational projects within TD and the Zinox Group. In the last 16 years post-graduation, the Electrical Engineering trained graduate-turned Business Manager has earned different certifications and competencies around the globe and is subject matter expert in Value Distribution Business. 

Well respected as a strategist and transformer in the ICT industry, Mr. Etukudoh had previously worked with SaapTech, Hewlett Packard (HP) and United Bank for Africa (UBA) in different capacities. In 2009, he was appraised Most-Valuable- Performer (MVP) by UBA.

Mrs. Igho-Orere, who first joined TD in January 2002 as strategic Customer Service Executive, has served in various capacities in the Zinox Group spanning across distribution, large corporate, public sector and retail. In the course of her work, she has also had to manage TD Abuja, TD Ghana, TD Liberia, TD Port Harcourt and Enugu remotely, in addition to her core duties at the head office.

A graduate of the University of Benin, Mrs. Igho-Orere holds a Postgraduate degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Jos, Plateau State. She boasts of sound experience in the entire spectrum of the ICT sector and has attended various trainings, both locally and internationally on product knowledge certifications. She has the sole responsibility to drive to good profitability TD iLife which is the lifestyle division of Technology Distributions.

Mrs Ijogun’s appointment is an outcome of her trail-blazing success with TD Mobile which she has grown into the biggest distributor of mobile devices in Sub-Saharan Africa within a short period of less than 18 months.

A Chemistry graduate from the University College, London, Mrs. Ijogun bagged a Master’s of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Accounting, Organization and Institution with distinction from the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE). Mrs. Ijogun, who is renowned as an astute and thorough-bred professional, boasts of prior experience with CBO Capital – a private equity firm and also oversaw the Hewlett Packard (HP) Experience Centre in Victoria Island which she transformed into a thriving, customer-facing touch-point for the business.

Having joined Technology Distributions as a strategic partner in 2013, Mrs. Ijogun launched TD Mobile which, under her sterling leadership, has become the undisputed leader in the distribution of mobile devices in the West African sub-region, with bold in-roads into the larger African market. Armed with sound leadership traits and a keen nose for business optimization, Mrs. Ijogun is widely regarded as one of the most prominent young business leaders in the ICT sector and her bold, energetic approach in driving TD Mobile to its current heights will serve the business well as it seeks to expand its share of the African market.    

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