Okere’s five forces for future banking

Commentary@ITRealms:

Having enjoyed centuries of monopoly, assured by the support of regulation, including through stringent requirements to new licensees, the erstwhile secured future of traditional banks is facing a heightened threat of disruption from Financial Technology companies (or FINTECHs), who are exploiting pent-up customer dissatisfaction and new technologies such as blockchain, coupled with the significant boost in smartphone adoption and pervasive broadband to disrupt the sector. 

The foundation of the Fintechs’ disruptive model lies in a peer-to-peer model for transactions, without any middleman or Central Authority in mind. A model that will possibly render the current establishment totally redundant and irrelevant.

The biggest threat to the banks has been precisely their seeming success. Centuries of relatively significant higher returns, even in the midst of economic downturns that adversely affect the real sectors, has engendered an attitude of invincibility and pomposity, characterised by a loss of touch with their customers.

Considered too big to fail, they take it for granted that they will be bailed out with taxpayers’ money in the event of any missteps – a perfect prey for disruption.

There are indeed five forces that will define the new face of banking: 
1. The banks - traditional and established, best with cash and ancillary instruments 
2. Fintechs – the new kid on the block, disrupter, mostly telecom roots, best with digital currencies and mobile services
3. Regulators - Central Banks, regulating traditional banks; and Communication Commissions, responsible for telecoms regulation (and thus Fintechs) 
4. Currencies - traditional, such as cash and cheques; or Digital, such as bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies
5. Customers - the weight and force of their new found voice. Typically, they clamour for whatever will give them convenience and lower costs. 

These forces and their interplay are represented in the schematic below:
A schematic representation of Austin's five forces analysis of the future of banking. 

Customers are the most significant force, and represented by the outermost sector of the concentric circles. As they tend more towards a preference for digital currencies, the Fintechs will tend to assume a more prominent role in the new face of banking, and the Regulatory regime will inadvertently tend towards the Communication Commissions under whose purview the Fintechs fall. 

This will introduce a regulatory imbroglio, as future ‘Huge Banks’ may fall outside the regulatory ambit of Central Banks (as seems to be the case with the MPESA mobile money platform, through which 25million Kenyans transacted $28billion in 2015, representing about 44% of the country’s GDP. Safaricom, the telecoms promoter of MPESA ironically falls under the regulation of the Communications Authority of Kenya rather than the Kenyan Central Bank).

If the customers however, maintain a strong appetite for traditional instruments of financial transactions such as notes & coins, cheques etc. then the current status quo will remain. The face of banking will thus be more of the same, and the regulatory authority will continue to be Central Banks. Between these two positions may be many variants, depending on the appetite and preferences of customers, and the pace at which they are willing to embrace change.

The essence of the Austin Okere’s Five Forces model is to enable players equip themselves with the imperatives that will ensure that their business is continuously relevant in the sector. It helps to guide the formulation of your prediction based on the following considerations:
·        whether there will indeed be a disruption
·        What the disrupted space will look like
·        The scale of disruption 
·        The pace of disruption

A correct application of Austin’s five forces model will define the difference between whether you continue to be in business, or whether your business model will become irrelevant and redundant.

Even though I developed the Austin’s five forces model, primarily to analyse the direction of the future of banking, the model can also be used to analyse any industry which is susceptible to disruption from the pervasive blockchain technology; including Real Estate; e.g. EY’s Australian operations piloted a real estate blockchain ecosystem that is now being used in the market to trade full, and even fractional ownership of properties. 

And also Government; e.g. Ukraine has partnered with global technology company, the Bitfury Group to put a sweeping range of government data on a blockchain platform. Dubai also has an ambitious blockchain strategy to issue all government documents on blockchain by 2020.

I will like to acknowledge due credits for this work to all blockchain enthusiasts, whose previous works have provided valuable insights, and also to my dear Son, Iheomimi Okere, who is quite artistically inclined, and has been able to correctly interpret my model in an aesthetic schematic.

*Contributed by Austin Okere, founder of CWG

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*Image by Omimi Okere

Nigeria needs 80,000 base stations for smart economy - Danbatta

ITRealms:

Nigeria with the population of over 180 million needs between 70,000 and 80,000 telecommunication base stations to actualize her dream of joining the club of countries working toward making Internet of Things (IoT) a reality by leveraging Forth Generation (4G) and Fifth Generation (5G) networks, reports ITRealms.

The Internet of things (IoT), ITRealms reports, is the inter-networking of physical devices, vehicles (also referred to as "connected devices" and "smart devices"), buildings, and other items—embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data, according to Wikipedia.

Disclosing this at a sitting of the House Representatives’ Ad Hoc Committee investigating the health implications of mounting telecommunications masts close to building, in Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, said the country currently has less than 50,000 base stations.

“3G, 4G going to 5G networks are going to usher this country into smart applications, the Internet of Things or the smart world and cities we are talking about. And of course because of the additional burden on infrastructure, the present capacity of telecom infrastructure is grossly inadequate to cater for these additional platforms or services we talk about’ 

“Therefore we will need from 70,000 to 80,000 base transceiver masts to be able to provide the effective capacity that’s needed to deploy 4G going to 5G,” he said while responding to questions from members of the ad hoc committee.

He later called on other approving agencies at all levels of government in the country synergize  with  NCC a view to achieving the target, noting that the United Kingdom (UK), with a population of almost one third of Nigeria already has close to 60,000 masts.

On concerns about health implications to exposure to electromagnetic field, Danbatta said researches so far conducted in the area have not indicated any adverse health concerns.

“With regards to other professional bodies like Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) we don’t have any quarrel with their positions. The only question is when we say exposure to electromagnetic field is hazardous to health what level are we talking about?  We have to define the level of exposure that is hazardous to human beings.

“Of course if you generate a massive electromagnetic field of unprecedented proportion and put a person inside, there will be medical consequences. But what we are saying is that: provided the limit specified is observed and NCC is there to ensure compliance with that limit, there is no health hazard.  There is a limit of safety below which electromagnetic fields do not cause any harm to health,” he declared.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE 

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Paradigm Initiative unveils new identity, … IFF 2017 kicks off

ITRealms:

Paradigm Initiative, formally known as Paradigm Initiative Nigeria unveiled a new identity in line with its new aspirations and focus, reports ITRealms.

This is coming as the Internet Freedom Forum (IFF) 2017 kicked off in Lagos, Wednesday.

Confirming this, the Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative ‘Gbenga Sesan said that although PIN is an indigenous social enterprise, registered corporately in Nigeria, and has programmes completely across several states in all geopolitical zones in Nigeria.

“We currently operate out of 5 offices in Kano, Lagos, Abuja and Aba. The removal of ‘Nigeria’ from our name reflects the on-going expansion of our work to the rest of Africa,” he disclosed.

According to him, “Paradigm Initiative is a social enterprise that builds an ICT-enabled support system and advocates digital rights in order to improve livelihoods for under-served youth. Its programs include digital inclusion programs – such as the LIFE training Program (LIFE is an acronym for Life Skills. ICT. Financial Readiness. Entrepreneurship) and the Techtiary program. Paradigm Initiative’s digital rights program, is called ‘Magoyi.’ ‘Magoyi’ means ‘Advocate’ in Hausa, an indigenous Nigerian language.Paradigm Initiative works to connect under-served youth with improved livelihoods through digital inclusion and digital rights programs.”

Equally speaking, Paradigm Initiative’s Director of Programmes, Tope Ogundipe said, the new Pan-African focus means that Magoyi programme will be expanding to Anglophone West Africa, Francophone West Africa, Central Africa as well as East & Southern Africa.

In addition, the Magoyi Programme Manager, Boye Adegoke said, “our expansion work to the rest of Africa affords us the opportunity to take the impact of our advocacy work in Nigeria – exemplified by the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill, to other regions of Africa.”

Chuks Egbune/GEE
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Kaspersky Lab unveils MSP partnership deal for Africa

ITRealms:

Kaspersky Lab has unveiled a partner programme on the continent of Africa, aimed at managed service providers (MSPs) that already offer security services or would like to add them to their current portfolio, reports ITRealms.

The programme, ITRealms gathered would help MSPs to address the growing demand for IT security services and enables them to attract new customers in the Small and Medium Business (SMB) markets, while satisfying existing customers looking to outsource all IT functions, including security, to a trusted third-party.

Managing Director, Kaspersky Lab Africa, Riaan Badenhorst, said that “Kaspersky Lab’s MSP Program was created specifically to meet the needs of partners who want to grow their managed service offerings in cybersecurity – without additional administrative overheads or resources. The program is based on the world’s most tested, most awarded multi-layered security solutions. It allows MSP partners to secure the complete customer infrastructure, from mobile devices and desktops to physical and virtual servers, with our comprehensive portfolio that can be delivered both on-premises or from the cloud.”

Also, First Distribution, operating across Africa, with offices in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, recently resolved to join the Kaspersky Lab’s programme, at their First for Cloud Roadshow in Johannesburg, South Africa, which was attended by over 100 partners, resellers and vendors.

Managing Director, First Distribution, Debbie Abrahall, said that with Kaspersky Lab’s new programme they see great opportunities for resellers and MSPs.

“We believe that with this, everybody in the market, including SMB clients, will benefit from the high-quality cybersecurity proposals that allow remote management and make IT security more affordable” Abrahall said.

ITRealms reports that the specialised programme is designed for MSP partners that want to enhance and grow their reputation and expertise, achieve maximum margin at minimum risk, and ensure that their customers’ data and infrastructure are kept safe. Kaspersky Lab’s offering includes products and technologies that will enable MSP partners to provide new security services to their customers, such as remote security monitoring, managed security, virtualization security and mobile device security and management.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Yudala, Linda Ikeji partner on Self-Made Woman conference

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Leading composite e-commerce company, Yudala joined forces with Africa’s most popular blogger, Linda Ikeji to empower thousands of female participants at the inaugural edition of Linda Ikeji’s Self Made Woman Conference held on Saturday April 22^nd 2017 at the prestigious Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, reports ITRealms.

From the professional anchoring of Forbes Africa Correspondent, Peace Hyde through a plethora of inspirational sessions delivered by notable female personalities including Kemi Adetiba, Omoni Oboli, Tara Durotoye, SP Dolapo Badmos, Folusho Badamosi, Dr. Ola Orekunrin and Linda Ikeji herself, it was an empowerment session par excellence’.

In addition to providing a unique opportunity for participants to network with and learn first-hand from the facilitators, the well-attended event also provided a chance for many to submit their business proposals for funding.

The entertainment fare was equally top-notch as singer, Seyi Shay and comediennes Lolo 1 and Mandy took turns to thrill the audience with electrifying performances.

The event, which saw Linda Ikeji recount her thorny path to success, kicked off on a fitting note with a mentally-stimulating talk from Dr. Ola Orekunrin; medical doctor, helicopter pilot, healthcare entrepreneur and founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, West Africa's first Air Ambulance.

Encouraging participants to strive for financial independence, she urged them to take bold steps with the phrase – ‘Take It’ –  and through which she doled out the sum of N200,000 to a participant, Nkechi Ejimkonye. Ejimkonye was the first to get to Dr. Ola when she raised an envelope and asked for a willing beneficiary to come for it. She was surprised to see almost all the participants still sitting and raising their hands while the beneficiary was among the few that stood to reach the speaker and eventually got the cash reward. Dr. Ola also announced her Double Initiative Scheme to empower women in financial need.

Filmmaker and video director, Kemi Adetiba, on her part, shared 12 life principles that went a long way in helping her achieve success in her chosen field of endeavour. Among these 12 principles, participants were advised to always plan ahead, put dreams into action, excel in every given opportunity, avoid distractions, keep friends of like minds, be an inspiration and make their works speak to the world.

For another film maker and actress, Omoni Oboli for whom the event coincided with her birthday, her lucid recollection of her career experiences and struggles in life was her own way of motivating the audience. Urging the participants to treat people with love and respect, she counselled on the need to learn the nitty-gritty of a business or trade instead of the tricks of the trade.

With a multimedia interlude from Yudala proving a useful side attraction, Head of Offline Retail, Oyeronke Atoyebi painted a glowing picture of the Yudala revolution, the company’s impressive business roadmap and wide-ranging product bouquet including its fashion category which caters to the taste and needs of many fashion-savvy females. The occasion also presented a unique opportunity for many attendees to learn more and take advantage of the on-going Yudala Triple Jara promotion which offers a free gift on every purchase, free delivery and the chance to buy and pay later with zero interest.

After a powerful presentation by Mrs. Folusho Gbadamosi titled ‘The Power of You’, Linda Ikeji revealed plans for the airing of Linda Ikeji TV on DSTV in a couple of months as well as a reality TV show in Ajegunle. She charged participants to choose God over man and always seek to maintain their dignity.

Linda gave credit to her mother who was also present at the event for seeing her and six other siblings through life in Mushin, noting that: “Life is not just about luxury but impact in the society and this is one of the steps I have taken in choosing to give N10 million to 15 ladies to run their various businesses."

Make-up entrepreneur and pioneer, Mrs. Tara Durotoye was also on ground to inspire young ladies. Harping on the need to see art of make-up as a lucrative business venture, the beauty entrepreneur gave a simple illustration on the ABCDE of the life of a successful woman. (A-ccept, B-elieve, C-ompare Not, D-evelop, E-mpower). She advised ladies to marry well but not to see marriage as priority.

Just like the Biblical wedding at Cana in Galilee where it seemed the best wine was reserved for the end of the event, Police Superintendent, Dolapo Badmos gave participants the complete dose of motivational tips in a superb presentation tagged "4 Ps to success". The PPRO of Zone A gave comprehensive and practical ways to achieve success through Purpose, Passion, Professionalism and Productivity. Her anecdote-filled presentation delivered with a huge dose of wit and hilarity had the participants roaring with laughter and surely left good memories in the minds of all gathered.

The event also had in attendance secondary school girls from Fountain Height School, Adelabu; Doregos Private Academy, Ipaja; Vivian Fowler Memorial School, Ikeja; Unique Heights, Magodo and Miketoy Schools, Alimosho.

Correspondent/GEE

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NCC, FIRS joint revenue quality assurance committee for telecoms debuts

ITRealms:

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) recently set up a joint Revenue Quality Assurance Committee for the telecommunications sector, just as plans have been advanced for the inaugural meeting this week, reports ITRealms.

This, ITRealms authoritatively gathered, formed the highpoint of the discussions between Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta and FIRS Chairman, Mr. Babatunde Fowler after a recent courtesy visit of Fowler to the NCC Headquarters.

Confirming this to ITRealms, the Director, Public Affairs at NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, noted that specifically, the joint committee with four members each from the two organisations is to examine and suggest ways through which the level of transparency can be attained via technology in tax management for FIRS and the returns from Annual Operating Levy (AOL) for the NCC.

He also said that the committee should see how staff matters including payments are addressed, just as to audit the states and proffer what benefits are accruable to them in terms of taxes collected.

“It is expected to work out a recommendation to facilitate the Type Approval of telecommunications equipment that can be used for a transparent assessment of the operators revenues,” he said.

ITRealms recalled that Prof. Danbatta had told his visitor during the visit that NCC has serious concerns over the shutting down of Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) in the States indiscriminately without recourse to the Commission.

“This is worrisome as it undermines the capacity to provide telecom services, thereby denying consumers quality of services” he said.

The EVC cited the Resolution of the National Economic Council on Multiple Taxation, Levies and Charges on ICT Infrastructure in Nigeria dated March 21, 2013 saying the document is very clear on the issues of multiple taxations, levies, Right of Ways (RoWs) among others.

Danbatta pleaded with the FIRS Chairman “to help us propagate the provisions of the policy to the Joint Tax Board (JTB)”.

The FIRS boss had earlier narrated his worries over the taxes being collected from MNOs in the States.

Mr. Fowler said his concerns stem from the fact that MNOs do not remit the Value Added Tax (VAT) already charged as at when due, “while some decide when they will remit it but the law stipulates that such taxes must be remitted to the FIRS between 20/21 of each month. Some too have not fulfilled the annual returns”, he added.

In an earlier working document sent to the Commission, the FIRS had requested the permission of NCC to connect its equipment to the MNOs networks for a direct interface to which Prof. Danbatta responded that such equipment must go through the Type Approval process.

Danbatta however said that the NCC sees collaboration with the FIRS as a decision in the right direction.

This underscores what Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari said recently about the collaboration of inter-governmental agencies which saw to the timely completion of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja ahead of the time schedule.

Nonye Dom/GEE

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CTO, Samoa sign MoU on Broadband forum’17

ITRealms:

The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) and the government of Samoa, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Commonwealth Broadband Forum (CBF) expected to hold in July 2017, reports ITRealms.

The agreement was signed by the CTO Secretary-General, Mr. Shola Taylor and Honourable Afamasaga Rico Tupa’i, the Minister of Communication & Information Technology, Samoa.

ITRealms gathered that the signing ceremony took place during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth ICT Investment Forum in Dubai on 10 April.

The Commonwealth Broadband Pacific Forum, ITRealms reports would take place on 25 – 27 July 2017 at the Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi (“TATTE”) Convention Center, Apia, Samoa.

For Mr. Taylor, “Broadband plays a key role in socio-economic development. The CTO has established this important conference series to assist Commonwealth communities to harness the power of broadband to transform community life and we are delighted that this year’s broadband forum will inform, and be informed by, the countries of the Pacific and beyond.”

The Commonwealth Broadband Pacific Forum will consider the possibilities for social and economic development by exploring the role of broadband in areas such as finance, education, health broadcasting, entrepreneurship and social inclusion. Previous events have taken place in Kenya, Nigeria and Malaysia with participation from policymakers, regulators, industry leaders and civil society from across the Commonwealth.

“The Commonwealth Broadband Pacific Forum will enable Samoa to showcase our progress in connecting our citizens and enabling them to access the benefits of the Internet. It is also an opportunity for us to bring together colleagues from the Pacific to examine the particular challenges facing broadband in our region, and discuss with our peers from the international community the future for broadband development across the Commonwealth,” Afamasaga said.

Chuks Egbune/GEE  

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Pix: Shola Taylor, Secretary-General, CTO and Honourable Afamasaga Rico Tupa'i, Minister of Communication & Information Technology, Samoa

Police says Tivs, killers of Zaki Biam massacre in March

ITRealms:

The Nigeria Police Force has declared that some criminal gangs with origin of Tiv in Benue State, are the suspected killers of the 17 innocent persons at Zaki Biam, recently, including two women and 17 men, reports ITRealms.

The Force spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood said this in Abuja at the parading of suspects arrested in connection with the merciless killings of innocent persons and wanton destruction of properties worth millions of Naira at Zaki Biam in Benue State on March 20.

The 19 suspects so far arrested, he said were all Tivs and made up of various criminal gangs on their roles in the killings of innocent persons and other violent crimes carried out by Terwase Akwaza aka Ghana in Benue State.

This was against earlier media reports that the killers were Fulani Herdsmen.

He said, follows deployment of Police Special Tactical Force and a high powered investigation team to unravel the circumstances surrounding the gruesome killings and bring the perpetrators to justice, set up by the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris.

Moshood in a press statement made available to ITRealms also said that the preliminary investigation and the operations embarked upon by the joint Police team revealed that one Terwase Akwaza aka Ghana, a gang leader of a vicious and notorious serial killer syndicate was responsible for the senseless killings of seventeen (17) innocent persons at Zaki Biam and for killing in cold blood of about fifty (50) people in other locations in Benue State.

According to him, Akwaza is also responsible for so many kidnappings, armed robberies and cultists violence leading to loss of lives and properties in other parts of Benue State. Further investigation revealed that he is also responsible for killing of Mr. Deneen Igbana (late) the Special Adviser on Security to the Executive Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom.

ITRealms gathered that the joint operations comprise of the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Military and the Department of State Service, who are now tasked with the arrest of Terwase Akwaza aka Ghana and his vicious criminal gang.

The 19 suspects, Moshood said, are currently in Police custody and have admitted to be cohorts of the wanted suspect “Terwase Akwaza aka Ghana” and have facilitated the commission of some of the offences linked to him at different times in Benue and other neighbouring States.

The suspects, he said, will be charged to court on completion of investigation, 17 men and two women.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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NCC seeks stakeholders input for Internet Industry Code of Practice

ITRealms:

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is seeking stakeholders input on the proposed establishment of an Internet Industry Code of Practice (IICP) in the country internet space, reports ITRealms.

The request for this was published in the Commission’s website, noting that as part of its Internet Governance functions, NCC seeks input from stakeholders in the development of a code of practice in support of net neutrality and an open internet.

The Commission also expressed preference for a multi-stakeholder model of engagement in the process of policy development for Internet Governance.

According to officials of NCC, the objectives of the proposed Internet Industry Code of Practice include among other things, to protect the rights and interests of Internet Service Providers and consumers; Provide jointly agreed and effective solutions to the issues of discriminatory traffic management practices; Ensure adequate safeguards are put in place by service providers against abuses such as unsolicited messages; Outline the obligations of Service Providers in relation to offensive and potentially harmful content for minors and vulnerable audiences; and Promote the safe, secure and responsible use of Internet Services with due regard to provisions in existing legal instruments.

Other objectives of IICP, NCC outlined encompass to establish best practices for Internet Governance in Nigeria, in line with emerging issues and global trends; Provide transparent rules for the assessment and classification of Internet content; Increase stakeholder satisfaction through improved consumer experience online; Improve competition by addressing issues of traffic management; and improve operational efficiency.

NCC also explained that in developing the code would entail a review of existing Internet industry codes of practice across various jurisdictions, to determine and incorporate global best practices, as well as review relevant guidelines, regulations, and legislations currently in place in Nigeria, to ensure that the code of practice produced is in conformity; extensive consultation of key stakeholders on scope and content of code; Publication of a draft code for review and feedback by stakeholders; Incorporation of stakeholder feedback into draft code and Production of final document.

Stakeholders, NCC said, are expected to submit their input in form of comments, concerns, feedback, and suggestions for scope and content via this portal, assuring that any input will considered in the drafting of the Internet Industry Code of Conduct.

Further, NCC assured that a draft of the Internet Industry Code of Practice will be made available to stakeholders for feedback and change requests when ready. Stakeholders will be invited to a presentation of the draft at a special Stakeholder Consultation Workshop where they will be expected to critique and suggest improvements to the draft.”

Stakeholders, NCC said, will also be able to submit their critiques and suggestions via this portal up until the final draft of the code is produced.

Feedback received from key stakeholders via the Online Consultation Facility as well as during the Stakeholder Consultation Workshop will be factored into the transitioning of the draft into the final code of practice.

Chuks Egbune/GEE 

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Lagos hosts 2017 editors convention, Emma Agu takes on 'A Nation in Recession'

MediaWatch@ITRealms:

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has concluded arrangements to hold its Biennial Convention in Ikeja, the Lagos State Capital, reports ITRealms.

The Convention, ITRealms gathered has been scheduled to hold April 28-30, 2017, will take place at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos State. The theme of the convention is: A Nation in Recession: Whither the Nigerian Media? It will be chaired by Malam Kabiru Yusuf, Chairman, Daily Trust Newspapers limited.

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who is the Chief Host is billed to deliver an address and declare the Convention open. A quintessential communication expert and political lobbyist, Mr. Emma Agu, will present a paper on the theme of the Convention.

The Biennial Convention, one of the largest gatherings of Nigerian Editors brings together over 300 editors and other media professionals. The forum will produce a new executive, led by a new President to oversee the affairs of the Guild in the next two years.

The tenure of the current executive, led by Mrs. Funke Egbemode, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of New Telegraph newspapers, began with Mr. Femi Adesina in 2015 and was truncated when he was appointed Special Adviser to President Muhammad Buhari, a few weeks after election. Adesina handed over to Malam Garba Deen Muhammad who was the Deputy President, and his position was ratified during the 11^th ANEC in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.

ITRealms reports that a few months after the mantle of leadership changed hands, Malam Muhammad was appointed Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC. Again, power shifted to Mrs. Egbemode who was then the Vice-President (West), and her new position was ratified during the 12^th ANEC in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, in 2016.

A press statement from NGE endorsed by the General Secretary, Victoria Ibanga confirmed that to facilitate the election process, the Guild has appointed a highly respected veteran journalist and author, Mr. Ray Ekpu, as the Chairman of a five-member Electoral Committee to conduct the process. He is to be supported by other top-notch journalists of proven integrity.

Also, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, she said, is expected to address the editors who will converge on Lagos to be part of the historic event.

“As part of activities lined up for the Convention, officials of Trust Fund Pensions Limited will make a 10-minute presentation. The topic is: Pension Fund for Editors: Managing your tomorrow today, during the business session on April 29, 2017,” she said.

Additionally, she said, that a gala night/dinner will hold in the evening of Saturday, April 29 at 7:00pm during which new members of the Guild will be inducted. Delegates are expected to depart on Sunday, April 30, 2017.

Uj. Dominic/GEE

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