Sanwo-Olu tasks graduands on tech-skills @MTU - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has called on graduating students to add technology driven skills to their primary course of study to compete favourably in the labour market, reports ITREALMS.

Sanwo-Olu gave the advice on Friday at the maiden graduation ceremony of the Mountain Top University (MTU) in Ibafo, Ogun State.

The governor delivered a lecture titled, ‘Future of Job and the World of Work: The Need for Graduates That are Globally Competitive’.

According to him, the knowledge acquired in the university will become obsolete in a short, while the graduands needed continuous advancement.

To be ready for the future, he urged the graduating students to embrace technology driven skills as jobs of the future will be driven by such.

”Many of the things you learnt in the university will have become obsolete even before you complete the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

”This is the truth. 50 or 100 years ago, we didn’t know that new technologies would have emerged to shape the world as we knew it.

”It is certain that to thrive in that world, university graduates will need to be fully prepared.

“They will need to be educated in the tools and the languages of that world and will need to have capacity to compete with other graduates in the quest for jobs and employment.

”We must also extend this to curriculum transformation. We will not progress in the 21st century using 20th century curricula.

”Our young people must become comfortable with coding, robotics, 3D printing and other technologies from an early age, especially in the public school system.

”Regardless of what academic track our students are on: arts, sciences or social sciences, technological literacy must be a common denominator,” Sanwo-olu said.

He said that students must commit themselves to life-long learning as they would be judged not only by what they know, but also how quickly they could learn new things.

Sanwo-olu said that technology had made it easier for users to find job opportunities outside their immediate environment.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Elijah Ayolabi, called on the students to be good ambassadors of the institution.

Ayolabi said that the students were “the firstborn, pride of the institution and the symbol of its strength”.

”What you do with the training you got is your sole responsibility. I charge you today, therefore, to remember the responsibility placed on your shoulders as the first children of MTU,” he said.
The university graduated a total of 120 students, 22 among them bagged First Class Honours in various disciplines.

*Florence Onuegbu/Editor

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Pix:*L-R: Wife of the General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Mrs Shade Olukoya; Her husband, Dr Daniel Olukoya; Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Mr Olatokunbo Talabi, during the first Convocation Ceremony and Lecture of Mountain Top University, Ibafo, Ogun State, on Friday, December 20, 2019.

Join FirstBank's vybes throughout December - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The FirstBank plc has promised customers an enjoyable December season with it vybe, which promotes the growth and development of entertainment genres including music, fashion and arts in the country, reports ITREALMS.

The yearly partnership tagged FirstBankIssaVybe which kicked off in 2018, is designed by the Bank to create an enthralling and enabling experience for Nigerians especially the young ones in the Yuletide season to bond with family and friends, whilst connecting with their favourite superstars.

From the exciting Alternative Sound 4.0, held at Terra Culture on 5 December 2019 to the unforgettable “An Evening with FBNHoldings” held on 13 December, 2019 to the pleasure overload of Island Block Party at Oniru Lagos on 14 December, lucky customers and followers of the Bank’s social media handles were given free tickets to have loads of fun!

Also, in the bouquet of fun extravaganza was Teni - The Billionaire Experience musical concert held at Eko Hotel on Monday, 16 December 2019 which had many customers thrilled to the finest of tunes by the Billionaire crooner and other guest artistes present.

Youth and teenage fashion lovers are not left out; as with Street Souk, they were exposed to the current trends in the world of creativity in the fashion industry. The event held on Wednesday, 18 December 2019. Keen on getting exposed to the best and latest designs, wears and fabrics in fashion, then the African Fashion Week Nigeria would be your port of call. The event, billed for 20 – 21 December 2019 attracts leading players in the fashion industry and promises to deepen the fashion appetite and interest of participants.

On the 27th of December, it would be the turn of Davido’s Good Time Concert to take Centre Stage and provide opportunities for FirstBank customers to win tickets to have a good time this season. FirstBank will then round up the year in grand style with the much anticipated concert with the Future Live in Concert scheduled for 29 December 2019 at the Eko hotel.

On the Bank’s commitment to vybing the society in December, the Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications said “2019 has indeed been a significant year for the FirstBank family being our 125th –anniversary with the celebratory theme ‘Woven into the Fabric of Society’. DecemberIsAVybe is an avenue for us to appreciate our stakeholders for their support by promoting and providing opportunities to grow entertainment industry and empowering young people as jobs are created in this period. It’s an opportunity for those who cannot afford passes to attend key events through giveaways. It is our way of further showing that we are indeed well woven into the fabric of society.”

To win tickets for any of these events, join the conversation ‘#DecemberIsAVybe’ by following FirstBank on any of its respective social media handles; @firstbanknigeria on Instagram; @firstbankngr on twitter and FirstBankofNigeriaLimited on Facebook.

*Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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Lessons from the U.K. Brexit Election - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS:

The U.K. has announced the result of the “Brexit Election”, and Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party won a landslide victory, mostly at the expense of Jeremy Corbyn’s opposition Labour Party.

Listen to their statements after the results; “I will work night and day to repay voters’ trust” … Boris Johnson. “I will not lead the party in any future general election campaign” … Jeremy Corbyn.

Despite the very high stakes in this election, there was no acrimonious stirring of tribal sentiments, nor calls on supporters to protest or reject the results. Rather, leaders on all sides called on their supporters to accept the line in the sand and move forward together. The central message of the winner was – let the healing begin.

Here are the key facts:

· The decision to go for elections in the U.K. was taken in late Oct 2019, but officially kicked off on Nov 06th

· Voting started at 7am on Dec 12th, and stopped by 10pm the same day

· The polls all come in by 8am next day, Dec 13th, except for St. Ives, an island caught in a storm

· The fastest returning record was 45 mins after voting closed

· There was 67% voters’ attendance

· There were no incidents of ballot snatching, violence or deaths as a result of the election

They did not have four years to plan; in fact, they barely had two months, and they had to deal with the exigencies of the attendant “holiday mindset” of the Christmas season; and yet there was no thought of postponement.

What can we learn from the UK elections? Can we replicate this in Nigeria? What do we need to do to make this happen?

I asked these questions on my social media handles and got a myriad of responses ranging from genuine self-introspection to excuses, and even outright justification of the status quo.

It is an unfair comparison of apples and oranges. Comparing a country created in 1536 with a country that was colonised and whose independence was given in 1960 is not a fair comparison; Nigeria needs time! One of them declared. Some others postulated that until we pass into law the electoral reform bill, there will not be elections in 2023.

I don't think the comparison is unfair; technology evens things out. We have to start aspiring towards superior systems instead of wallowing in our status quo, another countered.

If the U.K. is too far from Nigeria in development for a fair comparison, then maybe we should measure our electoral process against our neighbours here in Ghana and assess how we stack up. It cannot be gainsaid that the deliberate policy of free quality education in Ghana is at the root of sustained electoral maturity. The elections are more about developmental manifestos of the candidates than about parochial tribal and religious sentiments.

Even if we compare “apples with apples” with respect to the period since independence, how do you explain that countries like Botswana (1966), Mauritius (1968) and Singapore (1965) who were also colonized and gained independence after Nigeria are doing much better in their political process.

Perhaps the most telling comment was that elections in the U.K. are not do-or-die affairs because there's a limit to what a party can spend, coupled with the fact that the rewards and perks of political office are not way out of proportion to other careers.

Nigeria’s political process seems to be riddled with rigging, violence and deaths. We seem to take one step forward in electoral reforms, followed by two giant leaps backwards. Success at organising elections will certainly boost our standing among nations, and indeed our self-esteem as a people.

While it is pertinent to do an introspection about how we got here, it is more important to focus on how to dig ourselves out of this predicament and our respective parts in the plan; what I call healing “the man in the mirror” to heal society. Credible elections will instill good governance, assure shared prosperity and stem the massive brain drain plaguing our nation. This is certainly not rocket science, or is it?

It will be interesting to hear your views.

*Austin Okere is the Founder of CWG Plc, the largest ICT Company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange & Entrepreneur in Residence at CBS, New York. Austin also serves on the Advisory Board of the Global Business School Network, and on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Innovation and Intrapreneurship. Austin now runs the Ausso Leadership Academy focused on Business and Entrepreneurial Mentorship

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Dotun@50: Buhari joins media pros to celebrate guru - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The Nigerian President, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) has joined the media professionals and associates in celebrating the 50th birthday anniversary of renowned journalist and communication consultant, Dotun Oladipo, reports ITREALMS.

In wishing him long life, good health and more wisdom in projecting the nation, Buhari also felicitated with all friends, family members and professional associates of the journalist, who had served the country for more than 25 years, writing for many platforms, including Newswatch Magazine, Punch, The Sun, before setting up an online medium, The Eagleonline.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu told ITREALMS that as Oladipo turns 50, "the President believes his wealth of experience in journalism and consulting on communication, to both private and public institutions, will go a long way in contributing more to the growth of the nation, noting that communication remains integral and indispensable to development."

In addition, Shehu was quoted as saying that Buhari noted that Nigerians will remember Dotun, as he is fondly called, for his awesome contributions to the growth, and acceptance as part of daily life, of the digital newspaper.

"The President prays that God will bless and take the publisher to greater heights," he said. 

Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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Internet Society Foundation offers $300,000 in grants - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The new set up Internet Society Foundation (ISOCF) has issued its first set of medium and large grants (ranging from $12,000 to USD $30,000 each) to 13 ground-breaking projects that seek to spread the benefits of the Internet around the world, reports ITREALMS.

The Internet Society established the Internet Society Foundation to fund projects that will improve the quality of people’s lives everywhere. The Foundation awards grants to Internet Society Chapters as well as non-profit organizations and individuals dedicated to providing meaningful access to an open, globally connected and trusted Internet for everyone.

Of the more than 40 applications received this year, 13 projects were selected by a committee that evaluated projects based on criteria that included originality and innovation, community impact and sustainability and technical feasibility, among others.

The projects in Africa selected for grants are:

• $30,000 to create Wi-Fi access points and an off-the-grid Media Center within the Mamaila Tribal Authority, South Africa. The project will also build community capacity through training on cybersecurity, content development, entrepreneurship, and the construction, operation and maintenance of community networks. This aims to empower unemployed youth to organize themselves into cooperatives to advance their socio-economic aspirations and expand the planned network infrastructure.
• $12,322 will go towards creating community networks for 5,000 people in three remote farming communities and awareness-raising in Madagascar. The project will also provide technical training and basic Internet skills to a group of people who will train others to use the Internet to capture practical information for their economic development (such as on weather forecasts that can impact harvests and the prices of the agricultural products they sell).
• $30,000 to generate reliable statistical data on Internet use in Mali, in particular on the use/misuse of social media, which has become popular in both rural and urban areas. Most existing data has been produced by telecoms operators, for commercial ends, and results have not been made widely accessible. The results of this project, however, will be widely available through its publication and dissemination.

The Internet Society Foundation provides grants to the Internet community, Internet Society Chapters, non-profits and individuals working on one or more of the following program areas:

• Initiatives that build community capacity to access and benefit from the Internet (including digital literacy skills, reaching unconnected populations, awareness-raising and local content-production);
• Initiatives that respond to natural disasters;
• Opportunities for research across technical, economic and public policy topics;
• Initiatives that demonstrate innovative techniques to advance an Internet for all; and Local and regional projects supported by ISOC’s nearly 140 Chapters Beyond the Net.

The Internet Society Foundation will launch its next call for grant applications in early 2020. 

Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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NSOFT hosts NOTAP DG, as Dan-Azumi pledges more support - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The National Software Think Tank (NSOFT) has hosted the Director-General (DG) of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Dan-Azumi, reports NSOFT hosts NOTAP DG, as Dan-Azumi pledges more support - ITREALMS.

NSOFT also appreciated the DG with an award as a friend of the software industry and development in the country, due to  his foresightedness in setting up the think tank.

This is coming as Dr. Dan-Azumi has pledged more support to ensure progression of software industry in Nigeria.

Speaking at the reception, the Chairman, National Software Think Tank, Chief Chris Uwaje said that this has become necessary, at this time Dr. Dan-Azumi is on his second tenure to encourage him to consolidate on a number of software-related matters and to continue to upscale its promotion too.

NSOFT, he said, was the outcome of the two-day ICT Stakeholders Roundtable on the application and use of software in the financial sector, jointly hosted in Lagos by NOTAP and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) between March 18 through 19, 2019 and was inaugurated

NSOFT, he noted was inaugurated by NOTAP earlier in the year to address some of the critical challenges in the national software ecosystem with the mandate to explore the need for and provide a Five Year - National Software Strategic Plan for consideration.

“It is my pleasure therefore to inform you that NSOFT has completed and submitted the report of the assignment,” he said, congratulated the DG on his reappointment by the Federal Government for the second term as DG. NOTAP.

It is in this regards, Uwaje said, “his passion for the promotion of Local Content with particular reference to software and performances, he was singled out for appreciation.”

In his response, Dr. Dan-Azumi thanked NSOFT for the honour, assuring them that with adequate understanding and support of the industry, more achievement will be recorded before the end of his tenure.

For him, implementation of policy directions is key to successful emancipation of the country from poverty-ranking and technology stands the chance for leapfrogging the nation.

NOTAP, he said, will not take any option than promotion of technologies and intellectual properties of Nigerians

The cocktail, held on courtesy of FINTRACK Software Solutions & UnionSystems attracted topnotch leaders of the industry including President, Digital Bridge Institute, Prof. Mohammed Ajiya, Director of New Media and Information Security at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Engr. Haru Al-Hassan, chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, President of Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Dr. Yale Okeremi, Executive Director, SystemSpecs, Deremi Atanda, Director at NOTAP, Mr. Jonas Nzeagu and the ICT media, among others.

Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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Pix: Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of ALTON, congratulating NOTAP DG Dr Dan-Azumi on his award by NSOFT led by Chief Chris Uwaje

EGOGA maiden reunion attracts Chikwe, Obi, Akeredolu, Ebi - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The former Aviation Minister, Ambassador (Dr) Mrs Kema Chikwe, former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, First Lady of Ondo State, Arabinrin, Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu, and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Ernest Ebi, have been confirmed for the maiden Global Reunion of Egbu Girls Old Girls Association(EGOGA ) in Owerri, Imo State, reports ITREALMS.

The reunion slated for Saturday, December 21st would have most of the aforementioned as special guest speakers for the four-day event, which commences on Thursday, 19 through Sunday 22, December and would feature the inaugural Ms. Winifred Hubbard Lecture. Ms Hubbard is the first Principal of the school. There will also be Gala/Awards Night, a Medical Mission and Thanksgiving Service.

Coordinator for EGOGA, Mrs Ijeoma Enekwa, disclosed this in a press statement made avaialble to ITREALMS, saying that Ambassador Kema Chikwe would chair the inaugural lecture, while Mr. Peter Obi would be the Special Guest of honour, and Arabinrin Betty Akeredolu would equally deliver the keynote address on “Building The Next Generation of Female leaders: The Girl Child Education.”

The session will be moderated by renowned Publisher of The Source Magazine, Dame Comfort Obi. Both The First lady of Ondo State and Dame Obi are old girls of the school.

The Gala/ Awards Night, she said, would be chaired by Mr. Ernest Ebi, while the governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) would be the Special Guest of Honour. Whereas Sir Onyewuchi Asinobi would be the Father of the day with the Rt. Rev Geoffrey Okorafor, the Anglican Bishop of Egbu Diocese as the Chief Host.

Other guests expected at the Reunion activities include the Imo State Governor, The Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha, the MD of Emzor, Dr Stella Okoli, Imo State Commissioner for Education, Hon. Prof. Viola Onwuliri, Chief Leo Stan Eke, Capt. Emmanuel Ihenacho, Hon. Chief Mrs Nkeiru Ibekwe, Rt. Rev, Prof. Emmanuel Iheagwam, former Bishop of Egbu, the Secretary to the Imo State Government, Hon. Uche Onyeagucha, and Hon Reginald Ihebuzor, Imo State Commissioner for budget and planning.

Aside from helping Old school mates reconnect, the reunion is majorly aimed at raising funds to rebuild the dilapidated school infrastructure. 

The Association plans to use this reunion and several others to give back to their Alma Mater which is why the reunion has been tagged “A time to give back”. As part of giving back to the school, four projects would be commissioned during the reunion: a new fence covering the dormitory area, a gate, two sets of six toilet and bath facilities and a kitchen.

ITREALMS recalls that Egbu Girls Secondary School was founded in 1962 as a mission school; it was taken over by government and returned to the Mission in 2010.

Uj. N. Dominic/Editor

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Pix: Kema Chikwe

FG goes for new 5-Year National Broadband Plan - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Federal Government (FG) has proclaimed a new five-year National Broadband Plan (NBP) with a 25-man committee inaugurated, reports ITREALMS.

A press statement to this effect made available to ITREALMS by the Director, Public Affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Henry Nkemadu, quoted Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami as saying that the need to boost broadband penetration from its present coverage of 37.8 per cent to over 70 per cent in the next five years is the pedestal for the new National Broadband Plan (2020-2025).

Also, the Minister said, pervasive broadband penetration will certainly make Nigeria a truly digital economy. He spoke Monday at the inauguration of a 25 member committee in Abuja.

The new NBP 2020 -2025 is sequel to the first NBP 2013 – 2018. The new NBP Committee has Ms. Funke Opeke, Managing Director/CEO of Main One Cable Company Limited, as Chairperson with Dr. Bashir Gwandu as Co-Chairman. Engr.Ubale Maska, the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC as the Secretary to the Committee, he will be supported by four staff of the Ministry in the secretariat.

The Committee is to develop a new National Broadband Plan that will be the guiding template for the development of this very important area of telecommunications.

The Committee is to take a critical look at where we are after painstaking review of the 2013-2018 phase and the status of penetration now. The members are enjoined to also examine the challenges with a view to proffering solutions thereto. They should also look at the position of growing and emerging technologies among others.

The new NBP has the collaboration and support of the United Kingdom (UK) Government.

The inauguration of this new Committee is a follow up to the launch of the National Policy for Digital Economy and Strategy by President Muhammadu Buhari, in November 2019.

The Policy has eight pillars among which are Developmental Regulation, Digital Literacy and Skills, Solid Infrastructure, Service Infrastructure, Digital Services Development and Production, Digital Society Emerging Technologies and Indigenous Content Development.

The Minister told the Committee members to lay emphasis on the third pillar of the National Policy which accommodates broadband and data centre, key components for economic growth, and promotion of digital economy.

The Committee’s work, he explained will address significantly one of the eight pillars and the remaining seven will also run as one of this all important pillar.

“The work of this Committee will go a very long way in supporting the national digital economic policy and strategy for the Federal Government because digital economy is strategically dominating the world economy today.”

According to Pantami, members of the Committee were selected based on their competence, integrity and professionalism. “In all these, Nigeria comes first.”

Ms. Opeke who responded on behalf of the committee thanked the Minister for the opportunity to serve and said the target of the committee is to achieve at least 65-70% broadband penetration across Nigeria in the next five years, adding that the objective is technology neutrality for the right purpose. “ the Minister has set the goal and I am sure the NCC is in agreement,” Ms. Opeke added, saying “ we will look at the work of the last Committee and what was done, the prospects, the challenges that are still there in order to come up with a plan to achieve the set objectives.”

‘‘I believe the objective is achievable with sincerity of purpose and with hard work for these are critical services and infrastructure that we need to bring to all Nigerians and we’re optimistic that we can accomplish that goal. There is work to be done on fixed infrastructure but the reality is mobile technologies are also progressing quite fast to deliver very capable services to people. ‘‘We see what is going on with 5G all over the world, so we will address both at the Committee but I believe our objective is not to favour one technology over another but to figure out how we can get those critical services to many more Nigerians. So, we’ll be a mix of technologies but the objective is not to favour one technology over another or to be prescriptive but the right technology for the right purpose, the most competitive technology that enables us deliver services to all Nigerians,’’ Opeke said.

Earlier in his goodwill message, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta said Broadband Infrastructure remains one of the top priority of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to ensure people around the world have access to equitable and affordable broadband, wherever they are and whatever the circumstances they are in. With adequate broadband infrastructure in place, Danbatta assured that everything else will fall into place. ‘‘The ability to deliver healthcare, best quality education even to generations unborn, ability to streamline transportation, meet up with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ability to transform the economy into a digital one.’’ He pledged the commitment of the Board and Management of NCC, especially in the area of driving the infrastructure that will ensure that critical mass of ICT adoption in use will in time increase the level of broadband penetration in the country.

Besides, Ms. Opeke, Gwandu and Maska, the 25-member Committee also has representatives from the academia, NCC, Galaxy Backbone, MTN , Google, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Defence Space Administration, National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd (NIGCOMSAT), Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), GSM Association among others.

Remmy Nweke/DoP

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Olufuye harps on Internet Governance treaty - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Chief Executive Officer of Kontemporary Computers, Dr. Jimson Olufuye, has advocated for an international treaty on Internet Governance resolutions over the years, so as to drive data governance in the cyberspace, among others, reports ITREALMS.

He made this call while speaking at the just concluded 2019 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Berlin on “Data Governance on the Internet Space, by the Internet Model.”

Why KongaPay dangles ATM card-less - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The continental e-commerce giant, Konga has adduced reasons why its latest in stock ATM card-less solution with KongaPay, is exciting market, reports ITREALMS.

This, industry observers say is another feat with the roll-out of card-less withdrawal and unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) features on its payment platform, KongaPay.

KongaPay is a secured payment platform licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), promises to allow customers to hold funds in escrow, complete peer to peer transfers, purchase digital goods, pay for Digital Satellite Television (DStv) subscription and airtime at discounted rates.

Explaining how the card-less withdrawal feature works, KongaPay Vice President, Joshua Fatoye, stated that the feature allows any account holder to withdraw cash from any Automated Teller Machine (ATM) nationwide, without using any debit card.

“The card-less feature works this way. All the customers are required to do is to sign up on Kongapay.com and ensure that their KongaPay wallet is funded using any of the funding options. Then, the account holders need to log into their wallets via web or app. Then, click on cash out from the wallet, and next on cardless cash out feature and input the amount and the beneficiary mobile number,’’ stated Fatoye.

‘‘By default, the customer’s mobile number will be on display. The customers can, however, input any valid mobile number of any recipient they wish to send money to. The beauty of the process is that the mobile number does not have to be registered on KongaPay wallet.

‘’Next, the customers will then input their personal identification numbers (PINs) and One True Pairings (OTPs) to complete the transaction. Next, the customer who initiates the transaction will receive a message thus: “Your pay code request was successful”, and the beneficiary will get a short message service (SMS) notification with the withdrawal code details,” Fatoye said.

Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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