N150m housing scam: Subscribers condemn NUJ’s ban on comments, demand refund - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Condemnations have trailed the recent step by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) to gag members on obvious fraudulent N150 million Penjewel Housing Scheme in Abaren, reports ITREALMS.

The NUJ in statement released by its Senior Assistant National Secretary, Gbemiga Bamidele, on Tuesday, barred its members from making public statement on the matter.

The statement came after intensified outcries from journalists in Lagos and a public discussion of the fraud on Channels Television amidst avalanche of media reports hitherto.

The condemnation was heightened as the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) of the Lagos High Court was unable to settle the matter as main respondents through their lawyers took excuses at the final sitting last Friday, while they were actually hiding in a car outside the court and took to their heels on sighting some of the applicants, especially members of the Action Subscribers.

Further, the NUJ letter claimed it has summoned those parties involved including NAWOJ president, Ifeyinwa Omo’ole and former chairman, NUJ Council, Mr. Deji Elumoye, with hope for wider stakeholders meeting.

Stakeholders who spoke to ITREALMS on NUJ letter said that the leadership has not taken the clamour to resolve the fraudulent scheme seriously, otherwise NUJ should have intervened much earlier than waiting until ADU session has ruled the case is moving to the High Court.

According to them, the only seriousness they will accept is when NUJ hands those involved over to the security agencies and disassociate itself from fraudsters parading as NUJ leaders with tinted images.

Ayo Midele/Editor

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Bet9ja: Lottery, essential ingredient for socioeconomic development - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Nigeria's preferred sport-betting operator, Bet9ja, has declared that lottery is an essential ingredient for socio-economic development, reports ITREALMS.

The Managing Director, Bet9ja, Ayo Ojuroye, made this assertion at a media launch of the ‘More than a bet’ campaign in Lagos, at the weekend, noting that lottery  is a social resource that is positively changing the economic fortunes of countries across the world.

"In Nigeria, the operation of lottery has precipitated increase in state revenue through payment of taxes and other levies paid to the government," he said,  revealed that Bet9ja pays all taxes and levies due to it as an organization promptly in compliance with every Federal, State laws and best corporate governance practice.

He also posited that for any nation to grow, it must possess the power to generate income internally so that the government can meet its civic obligation of providing infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, water, among others, as well as meeting recurrent expenditure.

Lottery, Ojuroye also noted, invariably contributes to curbing unemployment as opportunities exist in gaming, for instance oddsmakers, analysts, security, cashiers, among others.

Indeed, the job opportunities in lottery and sports betting are limitless and the revenue can help sustain the economy of the country.

The gaming enthusiast noted that the induced impacts on the economy arises as employees/beneficiaries of the industry spend their wages in the broader economy - payment of rent, school fees, transportation, food, beverage, and entertainment.

Bet9ja offers the most exciting and rewarding experiences to our customers with the best odds, best bonus and fast payout of winnings, he stated.

He said that the firm's most critical assets include its integrity and commitment to ensuring it provides the best service always.

"Bet9ja is MORE THAN A BET!," he enthused. 

Our 'MORE THAN A BET' campaign is a cue from the average customer. The singular ticket for a bet placed is MORE THAN A BET to that individual, that ticket is an opportunity to change one’s life.

He said that the company will continue to thrive to empower Nigerians economically to achieve dreams of enhanced standard of living.

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Pix: R-L: Senior Marketing Manager, Osobajo Olufemi; Head of Human Resources & Organisational Development, Kikky Boboye; Senior Legal Adviser, Adewale Akande, and Assistant Legal Adviser, Fatoye Seyi, all of Bet9ja, at the media unveiling of the "MORE THAN A BET" campaign in Lagos weekend

AfRALO, NCC, Medallion collaborate DigitalSENSE Africa 2019 Forum on Internet Governance, IPv6 Roundtable - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The African Regional At-Large Organisations (AfRALO) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), is collaborating with DigitalSENSE Africa Media for the 2019 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Africa Forum (NDSF) on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) and Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable, scheduled for Thursday, June 20, at the Welcome Centre Hotels, Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road, Lagos, reports ITREALMS.

This development is coming alongside the collaboration for NDSF 2019 by the apex telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Medallion Communications, the secured interconnect switching center.

According to the organisers led by the Executive Director, DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mrs Nkem Nweke, the collaboration with AfRALO, NCC and Medallion for this year’s forum with theme: ‘Connecting Nigerians for Enhanced Internet Governance' will make NDSF series more exciting especially for participants and urged all to ensure they register and participate.



She noted that the forum which would now holds on June 20 at the Welcome Centre Hotels, MM International Airport Road, Lagos, was earlier scheduled for June 6, but has to be shifted due to public holidays in Nigeria.



Experts from AfRALO, she said, like NCC and Medallion have been lined up to lead discussions at the 10th Nigeria DigitalSENSE Africa forum series on IG4D and Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable.



She noted that AFRALO is the home of the individual Internet user community for the African region, providing news, key resources and interactive information sharing tools for individuals and end-user groups in the African region who are interested in ICANN and in shaping the future of the Internet.



DigitalSENSE Africa, she pointed out, as ICANN At-Large Structure (ALS) is a member of AFRALO, which aims to strengthen users’ participation in ICANN decision-making structures, to ensure that members actively encourage more direct participation by end users, build Internet policy making capacity in the region, reach out to Internet users on the issues in the scope of ICANN, as well as represent users’ interests and defining public interest aspects of Internet governance with specific focus on the areas of privacy, transparency, and accountability.



“Thereby strengthen consumer protection in ICANN policies and identify social impacts of technical infrastructure design like the uptake of IPv6 or otherwise,” she declared.



NCC, she also said is the apex telecommunications regulator in Nigeria and has been the champion of Internet Governance role player in the public sector and licenses internet service providers and telecommunication service providers among other players in the information and communication technology sector.

Further, NCC mandate of 2003 Nigerian Communications Act, she said avails the Commission to properly carry out its regulatory functions and activities including licensing and approving guidelines for keeping of accounts and cost allocation formula of licensees.



NCC, she disclosed, would be sending a high-powered delegation to the 2019 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum series on Internet Governance for Development and Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable.



On the other hand, Mrs. Nweke said that Medallion Communications has proved itself as a leader in infrastructure provisioning through its interconnection and data centre facilitation in the industry, with the vision of bridging the digital divide between the developing and the developed economies of the world. Medallion has operational base in North America and across several African countries, offering Interconnect Houses where operators leverage interconnect with multiple operators in one location, but equally share the available telecom infrastructure thereby reducing overhead.



Medallion’s infrastructure, she said, has been designed to be robust and protocol independent to enable all classes of operators to interface seamlessly, for both Time-division multiplexing (TDM) and Internet Protocol (IP)-based telecom operators with any internet exchange points to ensure that local content providers are adequately catered for.



She recalled that DigitalSENSE Africa (DSA) Media, is a certified At-Large Structure (ALS) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and internationally reputed as award-winning Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry analysts and perception managers; professionally affiliated to African Regional At-Large Organisation (AFRALO) for shaping the future of the Internet, African Civil Society for the Information Society (ACSIS).



Chuks Egbune/Editor





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APRM, UCT, Nelson Mandela partner on regional integration - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), in collaboration with the University of Cape Town (UCT) Convocation and the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance (NMS), hosted a Public Symposium on the role of Young African leaders on Pan-Africanism and Regional Integration.

The Symposium was a commemoration of Africa Month, which among others seeks to increase the appreciation and demand for arts and culture, goods and services, and to stimulate competitive markets for trade among African countries.

The Symposium was structured in the form of keynote addresses and interactive panel discussions focusing on topical issues and themes relating to Nationalism and Pan-African Citizenry, African Integration and the Free Movement of People, as well as Youth and Business Innovation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The event was preceded by a networking dinner and keynote address by Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Chairperson of the APR Panel. Prof Gambari noted that the platform is critical, among other efforts, to secure Africa’s future through youth and women. He discussed the nexus between peace, security, democracy and development and the imperative of leadership in achieving the Africa which the Africans want, in the context the African Union Agenda 2063. Prof Gambari asserted that to achieve the “Africa we want”, youth must be at the centre of this change.

The APRM CEO, Professor Eddy Maloka, in his capacity as the President of the UCT Convocation, delivered the opening statement for the symposium. He noted that Africa Day is commemorated by the African Union on 25 May each year, and that discussions on the themes of Pan-African Africanism and Regional integration, including the Free Movement of People, are timely. He stated that one of the outcomes of the Symposium would be to create a platform where all those in attendance would work together to find solutions to the challenges facing the African Continent. In particular, that the APRM Continental Secretariat would work with, among others, Youth Envoys to ensure that the youth is part of creating Africa’s future.

In her Opening Statement, Prof. Mamokgethi Phakeng, the Vice-Chancellor of UCT highlighted that the theme of the symposium is aligned to the AU agenda 2063: “The Africa We Want”. Furthermore, she indicated that as Africans we want this continent to thrive, and to achieve this we need to support one another and mould and support leaders who can make this vision a reality. She also emphasised the need to take advantage of the ingenuity and innovative thinking that is springing up across the continent. In her concluding remark, she urged those in attendance to, as an African community, continue to communicate, share ideas and exchange expertise because the “Africa we want to see has to do with our young people”.

Prof Alan Hirsch, Director of the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, UCT introduced the relevance of the topic: African Integration and the Free Movement of People and stated that it is the responsibility of this generation to rethink African boundaries and unite all 55 African countries.

Hon. Brigitte Mabandla, Member of the APR panel of Eminent Persons, congratulated the University of Cape Town and the UCT Vice Chancellor for organizing this event in celebration of Africa Day. She highlighted the importance of sharing APRM’s experience in assessing regional integration, youth leadership and free movement. She indicated that the free movement of people can be a catalyst for economic growth in Africa.

In the same vein, Prof. Carlos Lopes of the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at UCT, and Former Head of UNECA and Advisor to UN Secretary General on Africa, stated that there is a need for the revision of the regional integration instruments that have been used in the past, as it is evident in the case of African Union’s Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA). The session theme centred around the promotion of African Unity and Integration and discussions further touched on areas of trade, intra-Africa migration and immigration.

The second session discussed issues of Nationalism, Identity and Pan-African Citizenry. Panellists interrogated what it means to be African, the advantages and disadvantages of Nationalism, securing the rights of marginalized people, and advancing Africa’s transformative agenda.

The third session focused on vibrant discussions on youth leadership in Business Innovation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Panellists alluded to technology as an enabler of Africa’s Development. It was noted that African States must embrace technological change and empower young leaders to promote better governance. Questions centred around the preparedness of Africa’s policy landscape for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The session concluded with a call to Africans, especially the youth, to be the ones who define what the Fourth Industrial Revolution looks like for Africa.

The Symposium Panellists comprised representation from across the continent, including Mr Msingathi Sipuka of the United Nations (UN), South Africa; Prof. Faizel Ismail, Director-Designate at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, UCT; Ms Maureen Achieng, Chief of Mission at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Ethiopia, and representative to AU, UNECA and IGAD; Dr Omar Badsha, Chief Executive Officer, South African History Online (SAHO); Prof. Lungisile Ntsebeza, Professor and holder of the AC Jordan Chair in African Studies, UCT; Dr Siphokazi Magadla, Senior lecturer in the Political and International Studies Department, Rhodes University; Mr Rendani Mamphiswana, member of the Presidency’s Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), South Africa and Ms Asanda Lobelo, SRC President at UCT, amongst many others.

The symposium was attended by over 200 delegates comprising the UCT Alumni and student community, APRM member state Ambassadors, academics, representatives of international development agencies, policy practitioners, independent researchers and civil society.

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Family businesses must maximise advantages, strong values - ITREALMS.

ITREALMS:

Family businesses should seek to maximise the competitive advantage that comes from their strong values-led culture, according to the Nigerian report of PwC’s 2018 Family Business Survey launched on the 22 May 2019, in Lagos, reports ITREALMS. 

The Family Business Survey is a global market survey among key decision makers in family businesses within a number of PwC's key territories. The goal of the survey is to get an understanding of what family businesses are thinking on the key issues of the day.

This year’s report with the theme “Building a lasting competitive advantage through your values and purpose in a digital age” saw family business leaders globally reporting robust health, with levels of growth at their highest level since 2007.

Regionally businesses in the Middle East and Africa were the most optimistic, with 28% expecting aggressive growth. They are followed by those in Asia Pacific (24%), Eastern Europe (17%), North America (16%), Central/South America (12%) and Western Europe (11%).

Growth among Nigerian family businesses over the last 12 months is lower than the global average with only 53% reporting growth in the last 12 months against 69% globally. However, 87% expect to grow over the next two years with 40% saying growth will be quick and aggressive against 16% globally.

The top three challenges cited by Nigerian family businesses as militating the personal and business goals are economic environment (70%), corruption (67%) and regulation (57%). 

Corruption which PwC estimates could cost up to 37% of Nigeria’s GDP by 2030 if unchecked, is associated with lower investment, higher prices as well as barriers of entry for businesses.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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MIIVOC backs NFIU on LG funds, petitions Buhari

ITREALMS:

An advocacy-based Civil Society Organisation, Media Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption (MIIVOC) has thrown its weight behind the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit-NFIU over recent directive on the management of Local Government funds, reports ITREALMS.

In a letter dated 22nd May, 2019, signed by the group’s Executive Director, Dr. Walter Duru, MIIVOC urged President Buhari to ignore calls by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to compel the NFIU to rescind its decision on Local Government funds, capable of making state governors to lose control of local government funds.

The letter reads in part: “We have observed with shock, the needless controversy over the recent directive by the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) on the management of the accounts of Local Governments in Nigeria. We are aware that the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) says the effective date for the new regulations on local government funds remains June 1. The new guidelines would make the joint account system currently in use by state and local governments only exist for the receipt of allocations from the federation account but not for disbursement.”

“With the guideline, governors may lose control of local government funds. The new guidelines make provision of a cumulative cash withdrawal not exceeding N500,000.00 per day. The new measures were introduced to restore LGA’s financial autonomy.”

Continuing, the letter stressed:

“We are not surprised at the outburst of some Governors in Nigeria over the latest development, particularly, as the new directive will take away control of the age-long mismanaged local government funds from them.”

“There is no gainsaying the fact that Local Government funds in Nigeria have been mismanaged over the years by state governments/governors. This development has practically defeated the primary objective of creating the Local Government as the third tier of government- taking the government closer to the people.”

“The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, no doubt provides for Joint account for State and Local Governments. However, it holds that "No debit is allowed on any Local Government Funds unless and until the funds are credited to the bank of a local government.”

“The new NFIU directive does not in any way violate the provisions of the 1999 Constitution. It rather strengthens it. The receipt of allocations from the federation account has not been tampered with. The crux is disbursement.”

“Successive state governments in Nigeria have continuously violated the provisions of the 1999 Constitution by not obeying the wordings of the Constitution to the latter.”

“Ultimately, does the NFIU have the powers to do what it did? Yes! Indisputably, the NFIU Act 2018 expressly gives the Unit the powers to do so. Such powers and functions do not in any way violate any section or part of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.”

“Local Governments in Nigeria should be allowed to receive their allocations/funds in tact from the Federation account. This will enable the citizens at the grassroots level hold them to account and will entrench an era of transparency.”

“Why do state governments want to continue to mismanage local government funds? We therefore advise that His Excellency ignores the calls by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum for the NFIU to rescind its decision. Nigerians now know their real enemies. Please, His Excellency, ignore them! Let the decision of NFIU stand!”, the letter stressed.

Uboshe Uboshe/Editor

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WFP, African Risk Capacity extend administrative service deal till 2024 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The African Risk Capacity (ARC) Agency and the WorldFood Programme (WFP) has extended the Administrative Service Agreement (ASA) through which the WFP provides administrative and financial services to ARC thereby further strengthening the collaborative partnership between WFP and the African Union (AU), reports ITREALMS.

Since the establishment of ARC as a specialized agency of the AU in November 2012 by African Union Member States, the WFP has been providing administrative, technical, and financial services to the agency through an Administrative Services Agreement. The first ASA between WFP and ARC was concluded in June 2013 and a second ASA, which is currently in force, will expire on 31 August 2019.

The present extension, ITREALMS would be for a period of 5 years, from September 01, 2019 to 31 August 2024.

“The provision of support by the WFP through the Agreement has been very critical to our success, and we hope that within the next 5-year period of its operation, ARC would have grown into a fully independent institution”, said Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Chairperson of the African Risk Capacity Agency, during the official signing of the Extension at the WFP Offices in Rome.

With ARC, Africa is breaking away from the old paradigm of seeking interventions after the occurrence of a natural disaster towards a proactive management of its risks through building capacities of Member States for early warning systems and taking out climate risk insurance against perils. This assures access to rapid and predictable financing for protecting the food security and livelihoods of their vulnerable populations as well helping stabilise families and communities after disaster strikes.

“In its first four years of operations, the ARC insurance mechanism triggered over US $36 million to countries in the Sahel and Southern Africa to provide timely assistance for over 2.1 million people and 900,000 livestock affected by extreme droughts. For a paid-up premium of $67m by 8 countries, we were able to provide a $500m coverage, so we know the Mechanism works”, concluded Dr Okonjo-Iweala.

The Executive Director of the World Food Programme, David Beasley commended the African Risk Capacity for the impressive strides it has recorded since 2012. Particularly in designing customised response and insurance plans for the management of drought risks and other natural disasters towards ensuring food security on the continent.

“The WFP is happy to continue providing ARC with the ongoing assistance to enable farmers in Africa achieve better food security and resilience against climate induced disasters,” said Mr. Beasley.

The African Risk Capacity is an African-owned, continental, early response mechanism, which offers an African solution to one of the continent's most pressing challenges.

The Extension of Agreement will boost the confidence of ARC donors and other development partners in the delivery capacity of the Agency to keep strengthening resilience systems, providing development insurance, and helping African Union Member States to better plan and respond to natural disaster risks.

Remmy Nweke/DOP

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Pix: David Beasley, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Chairperson of African Risk Capacity, at the ceremony marking the extension of the Administrative Services Agreement between the two Agencies at the WFP Headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Why national interest comes first says Fayemi - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has stated that the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) under his watch will address all issues that come its way “as amicably as possible in the overall interest” of the country, reports ITREALMS.

Fayemi who spoke moments after he was unanimously elected as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors' Forum last week, said he is ready to build on the commitment of his predecessors by ensuring that States have a strong partnership with the Federal Government as federating units.

He explained that his election as chairman and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal as Deputy Chairman showed that the Forum represents Nigeria regardless of political persuasion.

The new chairman pledged that States would be strengthened to make them become more dedicated to the citizens; adding that this will also become beneficial to the country at large.

“My colleague, Aminu Tambuwal and I are delighted at the choice made by our colleagues this evening by consensus, the confidence reposed in us and in accepting this onerous responsibility that has been handed over to us, we promise our colleagues that we will step into the big shoes that Governor Yari will be leaving behind and build on the success story of this forum right from Governor Abdulahi Adamu through Governor Victor Attah, Lucky Igbinedion, Bukola Saraki and Governor Rotimi Amaechi before Governor Yari who so selflessly served this forum in the last four years”.

“We will build on this commitment with strong partnership with the Federal Government as federating unit and thrash out issues as amicably as possible in the overall interest of our country.

"This is something that all parties of different persuasions have done and as you can see, the leadership comprises myself from the majority party, the ruling party and Governor Aminu Tambuwal from the Peoples Democratic Party. What is most important is that this is unanimously chosen and we represent Nigeria regardless of our political persuasion.

"What we are going to do will be in the overall interest of our country in ensuring that our states are continuously strengthened; our country derives the benefit of strong dedicated states to our citizens and our partnership with all arms of government – federal government, the legislature and the development partners working with us in the overall interest of Nigerians”, the governor said.

Speaking further, Governor Fayemi hailed Nigerians for the 20 years of unbroken democratic rule in the country, saying that it is an affirmation that Nigerians love democracy and are determined to make it work.

According to the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the outgoing Chairman of the Forum, Governor Abdul’aziz Yari, the Governors, aside electing new leaders, also resolved to hold a meeting with President Mohammadu Buhari to find a lasting solution to security challenges facing the country, among other things.

Ayo Midele/Editor

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Pix: Ekiti State Governor, and new chairman Nigeria Governors Forum, Dr Kayode Fayemi  (middle) being congratulated from the left, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State;  Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Mr. Boss Mustapha; Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State and Governor Tanko Al-makura of Nassarawa State during the National Economic Council meeting in Abuja.

Zenith Bank achieves greenhouse feat, certified with GHG protocol - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Zenith Bank Plc has been presented with a Certificate for Greenhouse Gas Auditing by V4 Advisors after a successful completion of the Bank’s Greenhouse Gas Audit for the 2018 Financial Year, reports ITREALMS.

The presentation of the certificate and the report of the Auditors, ITREALMS gathered was done by V4 Advisors at the Zenith Bank Head Office on May 21, 2019.

The Executive Director, Dr. Temitope Fasoranti, who received the certificate on behalf of the Bank said the Bank started this effort with the 2016 Financial Year and has carried out three greenhouse gas audits to date. He explained that the Bank understands the relationship between greenhouse gas emission and climate change and appreciates the role it is expected to play towards combating the menace of climate change.

Also speaking on the milestone, the Country Manager Lynsey Elston highlighted that Zenith Bank is the first Nigerian bank to consecutively report the carbon emissions of their Head Office in Lagos using a certified tool which is built on the internationally recognized “GHG Protocol”. She commended the bank for proving its commitment to United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Goal 13, Climate Action, in addition to complying with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards".. In response to her, the Executive Director said the initiative has significantly helped the bank reduce its overall carbon footprints and drive energy efficiency.

V4 Advisors is a UAE-based provider of advisory and consulting solutions on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. The firm’s calculation and reporting tool has been reviewed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) for conformance with the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Seamfix addresses data collection challenges among NGOs - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Data solution management company, Seamfix has provided industry software solutions to address data capture and identity management, across various sectors of the economy, and challenges of data collection and analysis among non-governmental organisations (NGOs), reports ITREALMS.

The Executive Director, Seamfix Nigeria Limited, Mr. Chibuzor Onwurah ‎at one of the seminars organised for NGOs in Lagos, noted ‎that NGOs make use of data with no knowledge of how to effectively collect and analyse those data.

According to him, there are a lots of data around us, "yet we do not make efficient use of the data for economic planning."‎

“It is for this reason that we decided to organise the Lagos seminar for NGOs on data collection and analysis, after a similar engagement with NGOs in Abuja that attracted a lot of participants from the NGO space,” he said.

He maintained that the NGOs are making a lot of impact on the Nigerian economy through their non-for-profit activities.

Onwurah said, “Based on their activities, we decided to organise seminars on data gathering and analysis that will better position them in serving the public."

“Data collection and analysis is a challenge in this part of the world and we have a mission at Seamfix to help organisations and government institutions collect and analyse their data, in order to make meaningful use of data around them in making key decisions.

“Our focus is to provide the necessary tools that will enable organisations find it easy to digitize useful data. Seamfix has delivered on over 50 large scale projects for State Governments, Nigerian Police Force, the National Identity Scheme and SIM registration solutions for the top telecommunication companies in Nigeria as well as top organizations & schools like Oando, BAT, UNN and UNICAL" he said.

Further, he said, organisations find it easier to collect data, analyse data and digitise data, through the product called BioRegistra. 

"We are currently engaging organisations, NGOs and government agencies to enable them perform optimally, while using BioRegistra solution," he declared.

The BioRegistra solution, he explained, remained effective because it can work both in offline and online mode and it can work on mobile devices such as mobile phones, which makes it convenient for people to go around with their mobile phones to collect and analyse data.

“The BioRegistra is designed to work with or without internet and that is the beauty of the solution in data capturing and analysis. So our target is to provide solutions like BioRegistra to big and small organisations for data capturing and analysis.

“For accessibility, our solutions are online and anyone can download them on their mobile device and still make use of them even when they are in places where there is no internet connectivity. We also have support agents from various parts of the country who offer support services to people and organisations that are willing to use our solutions for data capturing and analysis,” Onwurah said.

Some of the NGOs who attended the Lagos seminar, identified some of the challenges in data collection to include refusal of respondents to give information, language barrier in communication, distant location for data collection, data storage and theft of data.

In addressing some of the challenges, Onwurah said “Seamfix has digital archiving solution it is currently deploying in some private and public universities called I-Transcript, which enables school authorities to transfer physical data like exam records, school registration and enrolment to digital archives where they could be stored and easily retrieved when needed”.

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Pic: From left: ACT Foundation Programme Officer, Ayodele Ojo, Development Consultant, Omobola Lana, Seamfix Managing Director, Chimezie Emewulu and Executive Director, Chibuzor Onwurah at the BioRegistra Effective Programme Evaluation through Digital Data Collection and Analysis with NGOs held in Lagos recently.