Those who may make Buhari's cabinet

ITRealms:

Preparations to the inauguration of the new administration of the President-Elect General Muhammadu Buhari, has begun reports ITRealms.

This, ITRealms gathered is coming a few weeks away from the inauguration day as Nigerians have been wondering the composition of the cabinet of president-elect will look like having much expectation. Nigerians awaits the list of the cabinet members.
 

Sources close to President-elect although the final list is yet to be out but some names flying around include likes of  Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Hon. Amaechi, Prof. Tam David-West, Babatunde Fashola,  Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, ex-NBA President, Rotimi Akeredolu, Sam Ndah-Isaiah and so on.
 

With the view of things, the control of affairs of the FCT may likely go to the outgoing governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN). While The President-Elect Gen. Buhari who pledged to serve the country to the best of his ability, has emphasized that his team would comprise of specialist on various offices to paddle the canoe of affairs of the country.
 

He is also reportedly considering the likes of Akeredolu for Justice; Sports may go to ex-minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, who defected from Jonathan’s government to APC. This process has assigned the task of nominating members by various party chiefs and leaders to various offices in the cabinet. the President-elect is considering Dr. Idika Kalu, a World Bank specialist consultant, according to his expertise quality as the minister of finance ITRealms gathered.
 

On the aspect of security, it was gathered that Gen. Buhari is considering appointing the office of Defence Minister, National Security Adviser (NSA) or Chief of Staff to one General Garba. While General Cyril Iweze, a then young Igbo officer who worked with the previous administration of General Buhari in the First Division before the Nigeria Civil War, may lead the operation against Boko Haram.
 

The then Nigerian Commander of ECOMOG in Liberia General Iweze. Iweze who’s reputed to have dealt with the Maitatsene sect in the defunct Gongola State.
 

Additionally, General Buhari is thinking constitute a Special security Force made of serving and retired officers, who would be given a mandate to finish up Boko Haram at a time. Because a stitch in time saves nine
 

AbdulKareem Mueenah/GEE

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MOU with Lagos boosts due process on taxes - ALTON

ITRealms

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has said that its recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Lagos State Government has boosted due process on taxes and other regulatory issues, ITRealms reports.

Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, Thursday in Lagos,  made this disclosure during the association’s Extra-ordinary General Meeting and Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year 2013, stating that the MOU has paved way for due process in ways and manners taxes  are collected and has also put a 

stop to the incessant closure or outright dismantling of member companies’ infrastructures.

He reiterated that there is now good working relationship between the association and Lagos State Government with signing of the MOU. He however refreshed members’ mind on the case between Lagos State and ALTON in Suit No: FHC/L/CS/517/2006—The Registered Trustees of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria & 6 Ors vs Lagos State Government & 4 Ors.

Speaking exclusively to ITRealms, he stated that the trial ruling was entered in favour of ALTON on the 23^RD of February 2007, and also ALTON won the appeal brought by Lagos State at the Court of Appeal in the year 2009. These were part of the huddles the association passed through before the signing of Memorandum of Understanding through the intervention of the Honourable Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson,  indicating also that the Honourable Minister has equally  led the industry stakeholders to signing with some state governments  what is called ”The Smart State Initiative Memorandum of Understanding” and expressed hope that this understanding will continue with incoming governments.

The Chairman of ALTON equally thanked member companies for their support in the past years, without which the association’s modest achievements would not have been possible, lamenting to ITREALMS that membership has reduced to fifteen due to the operating environment amongst other factors.

The Extra-ordinary General Meeting was equally designed to make public the Report of the Independent Auditor to the Association which basically stated the income and expenditure profile of the association. The independent audit firm, Thomas Oyewumi FCA, stated that “In our opinion, the association has kept proper accounting records and the financial statements are in agreement with the records in all material respects in the manner required by the companies and Allied Matters Act, CAP C20 LFN,2004 and in accordance with the Statement of Accounting Standards issued by the Nigerian Accounting Standard Board.   

Mr. Adebayo, ITRealms gathered, listed the remaining members of the association to include Airtel Networks, Communications Network Support Services Ltd (CNSSL), Etisalat, Globacom, Helios Towers Ltd, Interconnect Clearing House(ICN) , HIS Africa, MTN Nigeria Telecommunications Ltd, Multi-Links Nigeria Ltd, Smile Communications Ltd, Spectranet Nigeria, Starcomms Nigeria Ltd, Visafone Nigeria, Vodacom Business Solutions Ltd, and Zoom Mobile.

Cyriacus Nnaji/ GEE

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Nigeria Guild of Editors gear up for 2015 Biennial Convention

ITRealms:

The Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) are gearing up for its biennial convention which leads to elections on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja-Lagos, reports ITRealms.

A press statement made available to ITRealms by the Electoral Committee chaired by Mr. Stanley Egbochukwu includes the Chief Executive Officer, Diamond Publications, Mr. Lanre Idowu; NGE Vice President, West, Karada Ahmed in Lagos while releasing the eligibility criteria for editors seeking elective positions into the Executive and Standing Committees of the Guild.

According to the Electoral Committee there are Nine ( 9) executive offices, and 7 standing committee offices which are open to elections based on Article 11 of NGE constitution.

Also, the Executive offices that could be contested are the President, Deputy President, Vice President East, Vice President West, Vice President North, General Secretary, Assistant General Secretary, Treasurer, Social and Publicity Secretary.

Other offices include Standing Committee Members: Three West, Two East and Two North, while the only those who have met their financial obligations can contest –Article 8.

"The Planning Committee is using the payment of dues at the ANEC at Asaba 2013 and Katsina 2014 as yardstick," the committee stated, stressing the Secretariat had already sent out messages concerning this.

NGE also explained that before someone can aspire to be the President, he or she must have served as standing committee member for 2 years – Article 11A.

Former occupants of Editorial Chairs, ITRealms gathered, could only be associate members and could contest for standing committee but not into any of the 9 executive offices as stipulated in Article 12.E.

A list of all eligible voters, ITRealms noted that tthose who are up to date in the payment of both ANEC dues will be pasted at the venue of the convention during registration on Friday, April 24, 2015.

Nomination papers, NGE said, could be collected from the Election Committee after the opening ceremony on Saturday, which must be completed with endorsement of 2 members, who are inducted not less than five years.

This, ITRealms further gathered, must be submitted to the committee at the start of the Business Session on Saturday.

Chuks Egbuna/GEE
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Pix:
L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Diamond Publications, Mr. Lanre Idowu; Karada Ahmed, Vice President, West and chairman 2015 Convention Planning Committee, Steve Ayorinde; chairman Electoral Committee, Mr. Stanley Egbochukwu and President NGE, Mr. Femi Adesina at the inauguration of the Electoral Committee for 2015 biennial convention slated for Lagos.

ATCON to Strengthen Regulatory Policies

ITRealms

Association of the Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) in a communiqué at the end of its Annual General Meeting 2015 pledged to lobby for a better regulation in the sector, ITRealms reports.

ATCON President, Mr. Lanre Ajayi, while reading out the communiqué, told ITRealms that the fear of an environment of a weak legal framework necessitated its members to call for stronger regulatory policies that would protect and prioritize the survival of local investors at the same time not excluding foreign investors.

“We called for strengthening of a stronger regulatory environment because there are certain things that could be done better and to achieve that we have formed a strategic section of committees which would access and scrutinize these issues to certain rigors, which would be articulated and documented and we believe it’s not going to be flawed when presented to the government,” he said.

ITRealms also learnt that the Association intends to sit again with the appointed committees to finalize and document their reports for immediate presentation to the relevant authorities.

Equally ITRealms gathered that ATCON within the period of June 2014 to April 2015 has established laudable projects like the establishment of a training department at its secretariat, joined hands to host an International workshop on IPv6 2014, as well as organized the Telecoms Executive and Regulators forum 2014.

Daniel Nsolibe/GEE

   

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IG of Police, Suleiman Abba sacked as Solomon Arase takes over

    ITRealms

  

Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba has been sacked by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. The sack was announced by the president’s spokesperson, Reuben Abati, in a statement on Tuesday, ITRealms can report authoritatively.

ITRealms, however, gathered that a Deputy Inspector General of police, Solomon Arase, was appointed to act in his stead just as Mr. Abba’s removal and the assumption of office of his replacement are with immediate effect.

Mr. Abati’s statement read in full, “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has relieved the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba of his appointment and duties with immediate effect.

“President Jonathan has also appointed Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase as Acting Inspector-General of Police, also with immediate effect.” Until his appointment as Mr. Abba’s replacement, Mr. Arase ITRealms learnt, was the Head of the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department.

“Mr. Arase olds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Law, as well as  Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Political Science and Strategic Studies. He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence College.”

ITRealms further learnt that Mr. Abba, 56, became acting Inspector General on August 1, 2014 following the retirement of his predecessor, Mohammed Abubakar after 35 years of public service. He was confirmed substantive IGP on November 4, 2014.

With his removal, Mr. Abba will proceed on forced retirement four years before he attains retirement age.

Cyriacus Nnaji /GEE

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Pix: Acting IG, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase

NITRA assembles ICT stakeholders for innovation seminar

ITRealms:

Stakeholders in the Telecoms sector of the nation’s economy are set for an industry seminar aimed at charting the way forward in deepening the level of local innovations development in the nation’s telecoms industry, ITRealms reports

The event, a brainchild of the Nigeria Information and Communication Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA), is the maiden edition of the Quarterly Telecoms Seminar Series of the association.

Speaking in a press statement made available to ITRealms, NITRA President, Mr Emmanuel Okonji, said the Quarterly Telecoms Seminar Series has been conceived to create a platform for cross-fertilisation of ideas on topical issues among industry stakeholders both from the public and private sectors with a view to proffering panaceas to some thorny issues and design templates for leveraging latest development in the industry for growth.

With the theme: “Engendering Local Innovation in the Nigeria’s Telecoms Sector,” the event is scheduled to hold on Thursday, April 30th 2015, at Westown Hotel, Ikeja Lagos by 10 a.m.

ITRealms learnt that the event is being sponsored by the country’s innovative telecoms company, Etisalat Nigeria, the event is also enjoying the supports of other players such as Visafone, MTN, Airtel, Glo, Zinox,Signal Alliance, MainOne, Computer Warehouse Group Plc, Teledom Group, Omatek, Nigeria Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), among others.

Fully endorsed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); National Information Technology Development Agency, the seminar is backed by other industry associations such as the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) ITRealms reports.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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Xenophobia: Igbos want Dr Adeniran Abraham Ariyo head examined by Texas Medical Board

ITRealms:

Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and right activists, especially of Igbo extraction in Eastern Nigeria are now calling for the head of Dr. Adeniran Abraham Ariyo to be examined by the Texas Medical Board, over his invitation for massacre of Igbos in Nigeria as the ongoing xenophobia attacks in South Africa rages, reports ITRealms.

This is coming as over 1,874 supporters have endorsed the petition within 18 hours of its commencement, according to ITRealms investigations, cutting across all tribes of Nigeria.

Ariyo reportedly wrote on his Facebook page which has since been deleted, but some fast-fingers screen shot it before it went viral:

“You see how they (the Igbos) are being slaughtered in South Africa. That’s what’s going to happen to them in Lagos…When are they (the Igbos) not going to be slaughtered in Abuja?…God might have put a curse on them (the Igbos)…We will continue to bus them (the Igbos) to Onitsha.” - Dr. Abraham Ariyo.

ITRealms also reports that a petition has been sent to the Texas Medical Board on Change.Org by a group known as Nigerian Moment, calling for investigations on Dr. Ariyo who himself is an immigrant.

According to the petition, the group urged the Texas Medical Board to investigate a Dallas-based cardiologist, Dr. Adeniran Abraham Ariyo who called for xenophobic attack against Igbos the way foreigners were violently attacked in South Africa.

They also argued that the petition was based on the fact that the massacre or extermination of any ethnic group is against the United Nations (UN) law and of course the laws of United States. 

“No ethnic group should ever have to be massacred due to hate for any reason whatsoever since there are legally accepted ways of dealing and settling differences. The world cannot allow this to happen,” the proponents of Nigerian Moment declared.

One of the petitioners, Ogechi Akalezi from Igbobi-Lagos, stated that this call for the killing of the Igbos is enough to generate violence and attack on the Igbos residing in non-Igbo states in Nigeria. “His hospital should also be investigated and his license revoked,” Akalezi said.

 

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