Internet, DNS center opens in Seoul

ITREALMS:

The Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) have opened the center known as the Internet and 

Domain Name System (DNS) Engagement Center in Seoul, reports ITRealms.

This initiative, ITRealms gathered, elevated KISA and ICANN's partnership, established in November 2013 with the signing of the KISA-ICANN Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

“Per the objectives of the MOU, the Center will provide an avenue to foster dialogue and mutual understanding between KISA, ICANN as well as the wider Korean and regional Internet community. The Center will facilitate ICANN's engagement with Korean and regional stakeholders; and carry out cooperation programs in collaboration with ICANN and other Internet Governance Organizations, such as the Asia Pacific Internet Governance Academy (APIGA),” ITRealms was told.

This initiative, located at 11F Platinum Tower, ICANN said will enhance KISA's involvement to engage the wider Internet community as it commits its staff and resources to the Center.

The Center's staff will remain as KISA's employees and report directly to KISA. They are in charge of the Center's activities, working directly with the ICANN APAC regional office, and any other partners.

Chuks Egbune/ED, Ops

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

KGS unveils Gibran International Day

ITREALMS:

A literary outfit based in Ibadan, Khalil Gibran Society (KGS) has unveiled the Gibran International Day (GID) in the ancient city, reports ITRealms.

KGS, ITRealms gathered is a literary organization established to promote Gibran’s works and literary ideology, and is affiliated with Gibran National Committee, Cedars Institute and Pen Lebanon.

ITRealms also gathered that Gibran International Day (GID) is an annual worldwide chain of events administered by the Khalil Gibran Society and the Gibran National Committee with support from the Cedars Institute and PEN Lebanon.

Further reports available to ITRealms indicated that it is a day devoted for artists, readers and lovers of Gibran’s books and artworks across the world to draw, paint and read any Gibran’s selected book.

According to Wole Adedoyin, “It is also an avenue of promoting painting and reading culture across the world. Gibran International Day is celebrated in schools, offices, markets etc. Organizers can organize reading/art seminars, workshops, for a, symposia and conferences to fulfill the day.

He pointed out that GID promises to be an avenue of book and poetry reading, arts exhibition, dramatic display etc.

“The date for the celebration of GID will soon be announced to the world. Those interested in organizing one event or another should follow this link for further information

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Benue herdsmen attack: Tiv community wants IGP to disarm Hausa-Fulani

ITREALMS:

The Tiv community in Lagos State, under the auspices of Mdzough U Tiv (MUT), has called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim K.Idris, to  urgently disarm the irate Hausa -Fulani youths in Benue, especially Makurdi, reports ITRealms.

President General, MUT, Prince Aondowase Ikyernum Kajo, made this appeal after Saturday and Sunday night attacks on their host community in Wadata area of Makurdi where some Tiv residents were killed, others sustained varying degrees of injuries and their houses burnt by the rampaging youths.

Also, they alleged that intelligence information at their disposal indicated that there is a huge stockpile of dangerous arms and ammunitions in mosques, homes, shops and many other unidentified places by the Hausa -Fulani residents in the state.

With the kind of arms these rampaging youths were brandishing, and recklessly attacking Makurdi residents, it means they are well prepared to do the worst, hence, the urgent need to clampdown on the aforementioned places and confiscate those weapons.

It would amount to double standards by the Nigerian security agencies (soldiers) who hastily arrested the Benue State livestock guards who were on a legitimate duty protecting their communities against marauding Fulani herdsmen terrorists but looked the other way when other tribes are causing severe harm to the lives and property of our people with more highly sophisticated weapons.

Remember that during the state government Amnesty program, only  Benue indigenes submitted over 700 arms to the state. It is not logical for people who are armless to be living in the midst of their dangerously armed visitors that are daily inflicting pains on them unchallenged.

We also warn that those sponsoring these irate youths recently drafted to Benue with no viable source of living to cause chaos paving the way for a declaration of state of emergency in Benue should have a rethink as such diabolical agenda would not succeed in our state.

We thank the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, for standing firm with his people in these trying times. We also thank the Benue Traditional Council, led by HRM Prof. James Ayatse, Tor Tiv V, heads of all the socio-cultural organizations in the state and religious leaders for their efforts to see that these unprovoked attacks on our people stop.

We equally thank other critical stakeholders in this struggle to save our lives especially media professionals, social media activist, civil society organizations, the good people of Benue and well meaning Nigerians for standing with us.

We deeply sympathize with the families who lost their loved ones and  also wish the injured speedy recovery.

This is as we call on President Buhari who is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces to end this pogroms against Benue people by Fulani herdsmen terrorists.

Nonye Dom/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Emmanuel Ekuwem is new SSG to Akwa Ibom State

ITREALMS:

The founding Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Teledom Group and immediate past-chairman of the Board of Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority ( NEPZA ), Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, has been appointed the new Secretary to the Government of Akwa-Ibom State (SSG), reports ITRealms.

Confirming this to ITRealms, the Hon. Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Akwa-Ibom State, Charles Udoh said that Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel made the disclosure, adding that Ekuwem, would be sworn-in on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at the Government House Banquet Hall, Uyo.

Udoh also informed ITRealms that the appointment of Dr. Ekuwem, a former President of Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) is part of a continuous effort to rejig the governance structure of the state which started with the swearing-in of 2 new commissioners less than two months ago.

Dr. Ekuwem who replaces Sir Etekemba Umoren holds a Bachelors degree in Engineering Physics, Masters Degree in Physics, Masters Degree in Electronic & Electrical Engineering (Microcomputer-based Instrumentation and Control Engineering) and a PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering (Computer-based Instrumentation and Control Engineering).

Until his appointment, Dr. Ekuwem was the Founder and CEO of Teledom Group and hails from Ofi Uda in Mbo Local Government.

Further, the Government of Akwa Ibom State appreciated the erstwhile Secretary to State Government Sir Etekemba Umoren for his services to the state and wishes him well in his future endeavours.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Pix: Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, new SSG to Akwa-Ibom State government

Lagos to prosecute 30 cart pushers for sabotaging waste policy

ITREALMS:

The Lagos State Government has said it would prosecute the 30 cart pushers for sabotaging the new waste management policy of the state, reports ITRealms.

On Monday, ITRealms recalled that some  30 cart pushers were arrested for dumping refuse indiscriminately on road medians in some areas of the State in the middle of the night.

Chairman of the State’s Task Force on Environmental and Other Special Offences (Enforcement Unit), SP Olayinka Egbeyemi who made rhis know to  NaijaAgroNet, said the arrest was in line with the recent ban on the activities of cart pushers and wheel barrow operators by the State Government.

Egbeyemi, who affirmed that the activities of cart pushers in the State are illegal, said investigations found them culpable in dumping refuse on the road side especially at night thereby sabotaging efforts by the Government to keep the State clean. 


He said the Government is poised to go all out to prosecute any persons found to be working against the new waste management policy encapsulated in the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI), saying the programme is designed to revolutionalise waste administration in line with global best practices when fully operational.

“There are reports that refuse are littering the Lekki, Victoria Island, Ajah and other parts of the State and investigations reveal that it is the handiwork of unscrupulous elements within Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and their outside sponsors who are not comfortable with the new arrangement for the management of waste in the State and are hell bent on sabotaging government effort and frustrating them from carrying it out.

“The State Government has vowed to go all out against the saboteurs and after their sponsors and punish them in line with the laws of the State.

“We also need to let Lagosians know that it is illegal to use cart pushers to evacuate refuse and they should stop encouraging it. There are PSP vehicles that come around to pack refuse and they are the ones they should patronise and not these cart pushers.

“We want to notify all these cart pushers that their activities are illegal in Lagos. Lagos is a mega city and we have all it takes to collect refuse. So, the issue of going to the streets and collecting refuse and then dump same on the road is an act of sabotage to the government,” he said.

Egbeyemi said the suspects arrested would soon be charged to court for prosecution, just as he assured that Government would leave no stone unturned in keeping the State safe and clean.

Besides, the Task Force Chairman said that the enforcement would continue across the State until the activities of cart pushers and other unscrupulous elements found to be frustrating government’s efforts are completely brought to a halt.

“For the past two to three weeks, we have been noticing refuse on the roads and investigations have revealed that part of those carrying out such act and sabotaging government efforts are these cart pushers and probably there might be some people behind them,” Egbeyemi said

Nonye Dom/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

ICANN resolves potential data exposure in RFP system

ITREALMS:

The Internet Corporation for Names and Numbers (ICANN) has resolved a potential data exposure with JAGGAER (formerly SciQuest), the software as a service (SaaS) tool used for sourcing suppliers via competitive bidding processes such as Requests for Proposal (RFPs), reports ITRealms.

Affirming to ITRealms, ICANN said that two suppliers made ICANN aware of the issue on 4 December 2017 and ever since, ICANN has logged a severity 1 problem with JAGGAER immediately, and the vendor resolved the problem within 48 hours.

The issue, ICANN said, occurred in a module called Sourcing Director, which is used for administering RFPs and each RFP has a Question and Answer (Q&A) Board where RFP participants can post questions for the ICANN RFP team.

“Only the ICANN RFP team sees the questions while they are unanswered. ICANN posts the answer publicly, but the identity of the asker is not revealed on the website,” official disclosed to ITRealms.

The exposure, ITRealms gathered, occurred if RFP participants downloaded the page as a file extract.

“The extract listed the names of the entities that asked questions. We recognize that the problem undermined the expected confidentiality of those asking questions and potentially gave RFP bidders the names of their some of their competitors. As soon as ICANN learned of the problem, we reposted all questions and answers as if they came from ICANN, so the names of those asking questions no longer appeared in the file extract,” ICANN said.

This problem, ITRealms also reported, was not limited to ICANN as JAGGAER has verified that it was introduced on 10 November 2017 with the JAGGAER 17.3 upgrade that contained an enhancement to the Q&A file format.

“Because most people view the Q&A Board without file extraction, ICANN believes the data exposure was minimal. Bidders in three RFPs may have been affected, and they have already been informed of the issue.

Further, ICANN said that making this information public is part of its commitment to openness and transparency.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Africa is future economic engine not a ‘shithole’

ITREALMS:

The African Leadership Magazine (ALM) has expressed deep disappointment over the rather unfortunate comment attributed to the President of the United States of America (USA), Mr. Donald Trump, which described Africa as a "shithole" as widely reported in the media, reports ITRealms.

The Group Managing Editor, at ALM, Mr. Kingsley Okeke told ITRealms that instead of seeing Africa as such, that Mr. Trump should see Africa more as the future economic growth engine of the world.

ALM in a press statement also made available to ITRealms, noted that the aforesaid comment is very unfortunate, and displays a posturing of a person that is not in tune with prevailing realities.

According to Okeke, available data has proven time and again, that Africa is a resource-rich continent, which has consistently rewarded American companies doing business on the continent.

Experts, he said, have projected that Sub-Saharan Africa, will reach a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $29 trillion by 2050.

“The continent is also arguably blessed with some of the most outstanding human resource on the planet today, plying their trades in very key strategic roles globally,” he said.

Decrying that to describe the generality of the continent as a whole in such derogatory parlance is generalization and freedom of expression taken too far.

“Certainly, a continent that has experienced growth, with over one-third of Sub-Saharan African countries posting 6 per cent or higher growth rates annually, and another 40 per cent growing between 4 per cent to 6 per cent per year, cannot be a "shithole".

“A continent, described by international business observers as the future economic growth engine of the world, is definitely not a "shithole."

ALM, therefore urged President Trump, when next he is in search of a narrative for the continent to consider these indices, as well as the 1.8 Million African in diaspora, that are contributing to the growth of the American economy.

“And we call on all people of good conscience to condemn this denigration of our beloved continent, while thanking the American people who have risen up to condemn this attack on Africa - the cradle of civilization. We hope that President realizes his error and retracts this statement,” Okeke concluded.

Nonye Dom/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Benue herdsmen attack: FG urges restraint in media coverage

ITREALMS:

The Federal Government (FG) has requested media and public commentators’ restraint in coverage and comments on the fallouts of what it described as recent farmers and herders clash in Benue State, so as not to inflame the situation, reports ITRealms.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made this call at the weekend, told ITRealms in a press statement that Federal Government is working hard to address the situation with a view to preventing a recurrence, not just in Benue State, but nationwide.

“It’s incumbent on the media and public commentators not to engage in actions that can aggravate the crisis,” he said.

Mohammed explained that for avoidance of doubt and fear of being misunderstood that “we are neither saying the media should not cover the crisis nor asking public commentators to desist from commenting on it. All we are saying is that both must be circumspect.”

He pointed out that the current poisoned atmosphere of “incendiary comments, unrestrained use of pictures and footages that offend human sensibilities as well as fingerpointing can only exacerbate the situation and complicate ongoing efforts to end the crisis.”

Further, Mohammed said the Federal Government is absolutely saddened by the loss of lives and the destruction of property resulting from the crisis, and recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari, in commiserating with the Benue Governor, unreservedly condemned the killings and also assured of the necessary security measures to prevent further attacks and bring the perpetrators to book.

He insisted that FG has mapped out short and long-term solutions to the incessant clashes between farmers and herders, including a planned conference of stakeholders, and assured of the government's strong determination to find a lasting solution to the farmers/herders' clashes.

Ayo Midele/GEE

Linked:

Herdsmen Attacks: Anambra commences aerial patrol

Nigerians are groaning, herdsmen on rampage – Catholic Bishops told Buhari

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Umeh's Election: A Victory for Ndi Igbo - Aniagoh

ITREALMS:

The leader of the ‘South East Is APGA’ Campaign, Rotarian Ifeanyi Aniagoh has described the success of Chief Sir Victor Umeh at the last Saturday's Senatorial Election Rerun in Anambra State as a victory for the Igbo nation, reports ITRealms.

In a special congratulatory message to the senator-elect, Aniagoh explained that the election of Chief Umeh would not only serve the interest of the people of his senatorial district but would give prominence to the Igbo Project starting with his trademark long red cap.

"Chief Umeh is a man known for his long red cap, an identity that stands him out as a typical Igbo son who is proud of his origin. He won't stop at representing ndi Anambra Central but his presence will heavily project the Igbo project,” he declared.

He stressed that "His impact within few weeks at the National Confab confirms his quality, a courageous leader with in-depth knowledge of the law."

Aniagoh also assured that Umeh will exceed people's expectations and reiterated that APGA is favoured to take over the South-East States; "Umeh as a Senator will deliver on his promises and perform beyond expectations. His presence will also awaken other voices in the Senate just as his election has affirmed the fact that South East is APGA."

For him, Igbo people now understand that embracing APGA is the only way to end the marginalization of the people of South-East. Stressing that was why we recorded a 21-over-21 flawless victory last year and now we have a Senator-elect winning in all the polling units, which is the “First in history!"

With APGA in all the South-East States, Aniagoh emphasized that “Ndi Igbo are sure of good governance and a rapid regional development as being witnessed in Anambra State today."

As a people with one voice united in APGA, he said, Ndigbo can easily reach out and take what belongs to them in the national equation.

"We have the number, we have the economic power and the geniuses required of a nation. All we lack is unity of purpose and that is what APGA has brought to us," he said, expressing special thanks to the people of Anambra Central for standing up for the only party that gives voice to Ndi Igbo.

Ogochukwu Nebenanya in Awka/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

CGN explodes, warns Shittu over childish projects in 2018

ITREALMS:

The Computer Guild of Nigeria (CGN) has exploded with a warning to the current Minister of Communication, Barr. Adebayo Shittu to eschew the introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry with childish and puerile projects as 2018 beings, reports ITRealms.

Revealing the positon of CGN to ITRealms at the weekend in Ibadan, the National President of the Guild, Mr. Wole Adedoyin said that after the first meeting of the Guild to unveil it’s 2018 projects for the industry, the warning becomes imperative.

According to Adedoyin, who is also the national coordinator of “Information Technology Writers Association of Nigeria (ITWAN), “We prayed the Minister begins this year with laudable ICT projects. Last year was a disaster in the industry, not much was recorded. We in the sector know this compared to Mobolaji Johnson’s tenure when she was there in the same shoes.”

“We are all aware that two projects forwarded to the country’s National Executive Council (NEC) during one of their Council’s meetings which were brought forward by the Minister were shamefully rejected by them”

“We had once written to the President to reshuffle the ministry and take Barrister Shittu to where he belongs but the President refused to heed to our call,” he lamented.

ITRealms recalls that Computer Guild of Nigeria is acclaimed one of the computer professional associations in Nigeria saddled with the responsibilities of enhancing the computer skills of its members and the general public; formally known as the Society for Microsoft Practitioners (SFMP or SFMOP) and National Association of Nigerian Computer Operators, Web Designers, Programmers and Hardware Technicians, established since 2004.

Ayo Midele/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!