DHq, New Horizons partner on cyber security

Defence Headquarters of the Nigerian Army and New Horizons, may have joined forces to battle cyber security among ranks and file.

A press statement made available by Public Relations Manager at New Horizons, Mr. Yemi Sokoya at the weekend indicated that the two organisation recently showed this in their partnership for the World Information Security Conference, which held in Abuja.

The event, he said, was organized by the Defence Headquarters, EC-Council World-wide in partnership with New Horizons Nigeria.

He said, the seminar attracted 200 topmost military and business leaders including the chief host and Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, service chiefs, National Security Adviser (NSA) Gen. A.O. Azazi retired, representative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor and other participants from the banking, oil and gas, manufacturing, academia and the public service sectors.

According to him, one salient conclusion reached was the need to raise the level of awareness and knowledge of Nigerians, business owners and other stakeholders involved in the security of information either on computer or technology driven infrastructures such as electricity, traffic control, cash lodgments and withdrawals, production processes, et cetera.

Welcoming participants, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshall Petinrin, said the conference reflected the growing importance of cyber security.

He also said, it was gratifying that the conference was aimed at securing the virtual world for national security in order to build a stronger awareness and come up with plans for containing cyber threats in Nigeria.

The CDS further said, cyber crime is a global phenomenon that threatens national security, which has become a growing concern in both public and private sectors in the country, thereby making cyber security more strategic as nations and organizations invest in developing strategies, defining architectures and conducting risk assessment.

He, thereafter, acknowledged the need for cyber capabilities that would allow Nigerians defend the nation against attacks, “this conference is organised to achieve that purpose” he said.

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Uwadia says measured ICT4D impacts on citizens

Immediate past president of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Prof. Charles Uwadia has said that for the nation’s Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) plans to be felt by the citizenry, the implementation must be measured through research and development.

Prof. Uwadia who made this disclosure while presiding over a joint session on Group C and D on ICT in Research and Development and ICT Popularisation and Awareness, during a sectoral workshop organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Lagos, last week.

Uwadia who was x-raying the iCT4D in Research and Development aspect of the national e-Strategy, said that Research and Development (R&D) is the bedrock of any self-reliant national economy.

The agrarian, industrial and ICT revolutions, he said, have all been made possible as a result of progress made in R & D in these three sectors.

“Development in these sectors is one of the indices for assessing the development of any national economy,” he said.

He listed some of the challenges of research and development in the country to include difficulty in accessing relevant and updated information on research in similar areas or sectors.

Also, he said that duplication of research and development activities by different bodies in Nigeria, coupled with the lack of coordination within the different levels of government has not been helpful.

Additionally, he noted the need for institutionalized relationship with local and international R & D bodies, to strengthen the synergy between companies involved in R & D and user companies.

The need for ICT capacity building, he said, could not be over-emphasised even as inadequate investment in R & D is worrisome, Uwadia stressed that the lack of adaptation of ICT systems to local environment and their needs must be addressed to witness positive change in the implementation of ICT4D plans for the country.

He pointed out that aside from classifying the R & D bodies into sectors, Nigeria needs to develop a portal containing the database of bodies involved in R & D.

This, he said, would help in determining the level of ICT utilization for R & D as well as its dissemination of products outline or research outcome.

Networking of relevant R & D bodies locally, he said must be linked to the established international R & D organizations so as to facilitate the impact of R & D on the local economy.

He said, that development of capacity building strategies and multi-lingual hardware and software platforms must not be relegated, just as development of adaptable ICT programme to local environment and their needs remain paramount to the success of ICT4D implementation.

“Localised keyboard is not a bad idea,” he declared, adding that the implementation agencies must include Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Federal Ministry of Industries and NITDA.

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Youths advised to shun earphone noise

Nigerian youths have been advised to shun noise, especially with the use of Global System for Mobile (GSM) tool, like the mobile handsets.

Giving this advice, the Director, St. Joseph Priory, St. Jude’s Catholic Parish, Mafoluku, Oshodi-Lagos, Rev. Fr. Vincent Chidube Ubili OP, at homily last Sunday, said that noise has three aspects, which has been increased with the advent of GSM in the country.

He said that noise’s tripod aspects include scientific, societal and spiritual, defining noise as undesired sound by recipient.

According to him, with the rise of vehicle and bike horns as well as musical and GSM noise, saying these have contributed immensely in distraction of human growth.

“Noise is a big threat to human well being, thus same threat to spiritual growth,” he said, stressing that God is constantly speaking to every one of his creature, but “we need serene environment to hear God or even converse with God.”

He pointed out that life nowadays is now centred on noise-based infrastructure.

“Life in modern world is now around noise with the help of scientists,” he declared.

The clergy said that the use of ear phones due to avalanche of mobile handsets, especially on the major roads by the youths is wrong as this could cause vehicular accident.

“Use of earphones along the road is a wrong attitude because it could lead to accident,” he said.

Fr. Ubili advised the youths particularly to shun the use of earpiece from their GSM phones so as to not damage their ear drums.

Noise, he said, could distract them from making progress in life and capable of living up to the expectation of God in their lives.

He described noise as the most obstacles against human development, deriving his homily from the gospel of Matthew 14: 22-33, saying that man must be focused at all times to advance in life.

For the cyclists, Fr. Ubili said they should desist from using horns commensurate to their motorcycles.

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MTNN footprint goes beyond telecom - Dozie

MTN Nigeria has said that its footprint goes beyond the telecommunication sector of the nation’s economy, even as the mobile operator claims over 40 million subscribers out of the estimated 92m telecom consumers in the country.

Chairman, board of directors of MTN Nigeria, Dr. Pascal Dozie made this declaration in a goodwill message on the 10-year anniversary of MTN Nigeria Communications in Lagos on Monday.

He noted that as company with influence across all regions and crannies of the nation’s economy, Dozie said that MTN in the coming decade would work assiduously towards its footprint is felt more with an improved quality of service.

Another notable mark by MTN Nigeria, he said, has been seen through the MTN Foundation, which he said has contributed within the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) than any other since the company debut in Nigeria.

He recalled that prior to the liberalization of the telecommunication sector in 2001, the number of connected phone lines in the country was a mere 450,000 for an estimated population of 120 million at the time.

Experts, he said, had revealed that the level of investment in the telecommunication was estimated at $50 million, about N78 million.

“Today, there are over 90 million subscribers out of which MTN accounts for over 40m. The level of investment now runs into billions of dollars,” he said, stressing that 10 years on, the growth of telecommunications sector is unmatched by any other sector in the economy.

Available records, he said, indicated that the phenomenal growth in terms of subscriber base and the huge infrastructural development cover every nook and cranny of the country.

“At the forefront of this revolution is MTN Nigeria,” he said, adding that in the past decade, MTN Nigeria has consistently placed a high premium on building first class network quality, excellent customer service and value-added services which truly enrich Nigerians’ lives.

MTN Nigeria, he said, is not only the largest telecommunications company in Nigeria, but has also recorded several notable firsts, which have positioned its operations and activities as a point of reference for the telecommunications industry and the business community in the country and across the continent of Africa.

Dozie commended employees of MTN Nigeria, saying that their commitment and dedication was what endured MTN to the Nigerian populace, whose patronage supported MTN dream and investment to bring about what is happening today.

“Thank you for making MTN the greatest company in Nigeria; thank you for allowing us to grow; thank you for helping us to contribute to the development of this great country and finally, thank you for the support we know you will continue to give us in the years ahead,” he said.

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ITU partners Italy, EU on Green Standard week’11

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Italian Ministry of Economic Development in association with European Commission, is organizing the first Green Standards Week from 5 to 9 September in Rome, Italy.

Senior Communications Officer at ITU, Toby Johnson said that the event would be hosted by Telecom Italia, while the cluster of workshops that make up the event would focus on raising awareness of the importance of using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) standards to build a green economy and combat climate change.

Johnson also said that full remote participation would be made possible with video, streamed audio and the ability to submit questions online via a moderator.

A High-Level Segment (HLS), Johnson said, would provide Ministers and senior representatives from the ICT industry with an opportunity to exchange views on how ICTs could help in the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the run-up to Durban (COP-17) and in preparation for the Earth Summit Rio +20, to be held in 2012.

“The HLS will aim to set transparent policy objectives and targets to measure and improve government green ICT strategies and standards, including ICT-enabled applications across the economy,” Johnson stated in a press statement.

The first workshop, according to ITU official, would focus on methodologies for environmental impact assessment of ICT, and would examine work underway to measure the impact of ICTs on climate change, and how to standardize the way to calculate the reduction of Green House Gas (GHG) in ICT operation.

A second workshop will look at moving to a green economy through ICT standards, exploring how ICTs can help to address climate change and build a green economy, and shedding light on standards, policies and best practices. This workshop will be jointly organized with Telecom Italia and will be opened by the Italian Minister of Economic Development, Paolo Romani.

The third workshop in the series, Johnson said, would focus on using submarine communication networks to monitor the climate and provide tsunami warnings.

“It aims to encourage the development of new technologies and standards and to explore business opportunities for telecommunication companies to become active players in monitoring climate change,” senior communication officer said, stressing that this workshop would be jointly organized with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The Secretary General, ITU, Dr. Hamadoun Touré was quoted as saying that the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has put sustainability right at the top of the agenda for the United Nations in 2011.

“One problem we face is that while lip service is paid across the planet to the concept of sustainability, there is still surprisingly little action being taken. The main reason, I believe, is that the economic case for sustainability has not in fact been made convincingly – and here, the ICT sector and standards have a powerful potential role to play,” he said.

Green Standards Week, which is sponsored by Huawei, Research in Motion, Alcatel Lucent and Microsoft, will bring together leading specialists in the field, from top policy-makers to engineers, designers, planners, government officials, regulators, standards experts and others.

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Ewa says ICT4D plans’ll boost critical sectors

The Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Ita Okon Bassey Ewa has said that the Nigeria’s Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) was designed to boost critical economic sectors.

Speaking at the third phase of the ownership sectoral workshop on the Nigeria ICT4D plan organized by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Lagos, last week, the Minister who was represented at the occasion by the Director-General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi-Lagos, (FIIRO), Dr. (Mrs) Gloria Elemo said in his address that the plan encompassed in the national strategic plan of action covers various critical sectors of the nation’s economy.

According to him, the strategic plan was designed to contribute to the realization of the socio-economic development policy priorities of government, through the identification of specific short-term, medium-term and long-term progrmmes and projects for implementation by identified stakeholders.

He recalled that during the public presentation of the plan during the 2010 edition of e-Nigeria in May 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan, had directed that all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to commence immediate implementation of areas relevant to their mandates.

This, he noted, may not be possible without a thorough and detailed understanding of the need for the plan and the various programmes or initiatives to be embarked upon.

“This has necessitated today’s workshop, which is a follow-up to the two phases earlier held in February and May 2011,” he said.

Prof. Ewa also pointed out that this workshop was intended to evaluate any programme that has been implemented from the plan, identify the challenges and formulate appropriate strategies for full implementation.

“… With the ultimate objective of fast-tracking the deployment of information technology to drive the present administration’s transformation agenda,” he said.

As said by him, the previous two phases covered agriculture, education, health, e-governance, e-security, e-legislature, and human capital development, even as he expected the third edition to focus on research and development, ICT infrastructure, private sector participation and ICT popularization and awareness.

“I strongly believe that it is only through proper co-ordination and collaboration of stakeholders that we can adequately position our country as a major player in the global information society and knowledge economy,” he said.

The minister emphasized the importance of the workshop which is planned towards evaluating various on-going initiatives aimed at achieving part of the outcome of the two-phased World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustainable national development in the country as encapsulated in the national vision 20:2020 and President Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda.

Prof. Ewa reinstated the resolve of the federal government to collaborate with stakeholders including public, private sectors, professionals, civil society groups, the media, youths and students bodies alike.

“We should be able to further create awareness on the need for according necessary priority to information technology deployment in our various sectors in order for Nigeria to effectively be part of the emerging knowledge economy,” he expressed optimism.

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Zinox boss drums support for Omobola Johnson

Chairman of Zinox Technologies, Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh, has urged stakeholders in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to support the appointment of Mrs. Omobola Johnson as the first minister to head the newly created Ministry of Communication Technology.

Speaking at the commemoration of 10 years of ICT Revolution organized by the ICT publishers alliance in Lagos, last weekend, Dr. Ekeh said that Mrs. Johnson needs the necessary support and prayers that the ICT sector in the country could garner to make her work relatively easy.

Although Ekeh warned the new minister to be wary of sycophants which exist almost in every other sector, he advised her to ensure that she lives up to expectation of those she tend to represent, which is the larger ICT sector.

He expressed confidence in Mrs. Omobola Johnson’s ability to deliver on prospects of the stakeholders.

Ekeh whose paper was on ‘The Road to 20-2020,’ said that looking back a decade of ago, especially following the birth of Zinox Computers, the Nigeria’s first internationally certified branded computers, he felt gratitude to God and the patriotic Nigerians who created the enabling environment for an unprecedented launch and subsequently the success of the Zinox brand.

“My deep appreciation goes to the Federal Government under the former President Olusegun Obasanjo for initiating policies that liberalized communications and set Nigeria on the road to a knowledge economy,” he said.

According to him, the fact that the Federal Executive Council of 2011 was ably represented at the Zinox launch on October 9, 2011, underscored the importance the government placed on computer manufacturing.

“We drew strength from the presidential endorsement that followed a couple of weeks after the launch. I dare say that there is still plenty of need for the enforcement of that endorsement,” Ekeh declared.

Zinox chairman further expressed gratitude to the Nigerian ICT media for partnering with his firm to sensitize the governments and peoples of Nigeria to adopt the computer as a major tool for work and play.

“The media shared our aspirations to place a computer on every table at work or home,” he said, stressing that Nigerian ICT media went on to highlight Zinox concern that the security, governance, agriculture, energy, finance and overall development of this country would be best assured if built on a Nigerian technology,” he said.

The therefore, commended the organizes of the event under the aegis of ICT Publishers Alliances, describing the event as historic, looking at the progress Nigeria has made in ICT cutting across the Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications, computing and internet.

Earlier in his welcome address, the chairman of the ICT Publishers Alliance, Mr. Aaron Ukodie of eWorld, said the platform was set out to celebrate a decade of GSM revolution, but as they went along making preparations, it was discovered that just as a revolution in telecommunication was set in motion in 2001, the Information Technology (IT) sector also began to witness a remarkable growth from 2011 when the IT Policy was enacted with the birth of the National IT Development Agency (NITDA) by the Obasanjo’s government.

“So there is no doubt there is also a revolution going on in computing and internet diffusion in the country,” he said, stressing that the ICT sector has improved remarkably since 2000.

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