The Nation Newspaper

Category: Infotech

  • Tokunbo computers harmful to health, says society

    The Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) has raised the alarm over importation of used computers , warning of its potential threat to health, safety and environment. The importation, it added is a disincentive to the growth of the local computer industry.

    Its President, Sir Demola Aladekomo, said whle the body is working with the Federal Government to address the issue, some Nigerians care bringing the products into the country illegally.

    “We are worried about the importation of used computers and want the Federal Government to discourage it. Computers are becoming cheaper; they are being assembled in Nigeria. I see no reason why it is not affordable to the local people. The more we patronise our local producers, the better for us. So, we are working with the Federal Government in this respect but unfortunately, you have grey imports and you have unscrupulous importers that bring in these computers,” he said.

    On the quality of computers assembled locally, he said they are at par with the ones from China, Taiwan and even the United States of America (USA) as the components were sourced from the same source.

    “I do not think that the locally assembled computers are substandard. It may be a case of just wanting to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. The computers that are assembled in Nigeria are not inferior to the ones assembled in China, Taiwan and the US. They are all assembled, the components come from the same manufacturers, the OS (operating system) come from the same sources. So, I do not see anything that makes computers assembled in Nigeria inferior,” Aladekomo said.

    The NCS boss said he would have been worried if the silicon tubes were manufactured in the country, adding that all the international players in the industry also import silicon tubes from the same source Nigerians import theirs.

    “If you are doing the silicon tube in Nigeria, I will be worried. It’s just like Dell, HP, IBW, all import their silicon chips. The number of companies doing chips in the world are few, so they all import from the same source. It is the same OS, whether it is from Microsoft, Linux or Apple. They come from the same source. So, I do not see why Nigerian computers should be labelled inferior. That is not correct,” he said.

    According to experts, computer monitors that contain cathode ray tubes is one of the electronic items that constitute dangers to HSE because they contian over 1,000 different chemical substances found in their waste, many of which are toxic. Metals, such as lead and tin, copper, cadmium, mercury, brominated flame retardants, barium, antimony, and beryllium, are said to be contained the wastes arising from the use of computers and other electronic products.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Banks, govt agencies, others risk IT security breach

    An information technology (IT) expert has warned that banks, other financial institutions, government agencies, universities and other corporate organisations may become targets of young people with IT skills if unemployment persists.

    Tim Akano, vicechairman, WiniGroup Incorporation, an America-based IT security and business solutions company, warned that brilliant young hackers will attack on the data banks of these organisations and sell to others.

    “IT security is already a major concern globally which threat will become more serious in 2013 and beyond. In Nigeria, IT security is usually handled with levity. With more young people acquiring IT skills and with little opportunity to earn a decent income due to poor infrastructure that will make them transit to technopreneure, these youths will turn to vulnerable banks, universities, government agencies and other corporate organisations to earn huge income by hacking into their database and sell(ing) it for handsome fees in the online booming black market,” Akano who is also chief executive officer of New Horizons Nigeria Limited, said.

    According to him, organisations will have to embrace encryption to stave off attacks. “The way out of this pending hacking- earthquake is for organisation to embrace encryption. Organisation that will go unhurt, un-embarrassed and stand protected this year and beyond will need what I call:’’7-Layer IT-Security Sweater’’ to cover its origination’s body. Fortunately, this 7-Layer IT-Security Sweater’’ already exists in Nigeria,” he said, warning that the recent news about the hacking of the Federal Reserve’s and Wall Street Journal’s and Twitter accounts in the America is a tip of an iceberg as to what will come this year.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • ‘Why Lagos software institute is yet to take off’

    ‘Why Lagos software institute is yet to take off’

    THE Lagos State Software Institute has not taken off because the governement is retooling the project, the state Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr Adebiyi Mabadeje, has said.

    Noting that the government is committed to using science and technology to drive the economic development of the state, he said software development is one aspect of the technological space that is capable of local value add to the state and national economy.

    “We are still on the project. The concept is there. It has a physical component, which is the building. What we want to do is do something differently. We want to be creative and build something that is futuristic. We want to use sustainable materials that are friendly to the environment. We are looking at alternative sources of power not only because power is problem but because it is envrionment-friendly. A lot has been done at the back end as to what we want to achieve (form the project),” he said.

    According to him, to make the project a success, the state is in talks with international organisations that had run similar programme successfully so that the state will tap into their experience, adding that the concept has gone beyond what it was at inception to something broader that will encapsulate an ICT park.

    “We are taliking with some international bodies that have done this before. Essentially, the scope has evolved from just being a software institute but to technology. It is better to spend more time planning than to rush and not get the right value for the project. We, hopefully, will do it this year, if only to commission the physical structure itself. We are continuing work at the back end,” the commissioner said.

     

  • Fed Govt shops for venture fund manager

    With initial seed fund of N500 million made available by the Federal Government as part of the $15 million Technology Venture Capital Fund needed to grow the nation’s local software sector through incubation programme, the government said it is searching for reputable venture fund manager to manage the fund.

    Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, said the N500 million seeded through the Nigeria Information Technology Development Fund (NITDEF) is expected to attract the remaining $12 million from private individuals and investors locally and internationally.

    She said, “The Federal Government has allocated N500milion to the fund. We are looking for fund managers to raise the remaining. We are not only looking for institutional investors but also individual investors,” Omobola said, adding that telecoms operators are not barred from funding the venture capital.

    According to her, as part of efforts to grow the software sub-sector of the ICT industry and make it contribute substantially to the gross domestic product (GDP) the government came up with the idea of setting up incubation centres with the pilot project located in Lagos and Calabar, Cross River State capital.

    Johnson said the e-Learning Centre would host the software incubation centre in Lagos while Tinapa Knowledge City would house the Cross River State innovation centre.

    Rather than being government-owned, the minister said the innovation centres would be ‘government-inspired’ or ‘government- catalysed’ but would eventually be run by a non-profit organisation to be set up soon.

    She assured that the Federal Government would initially provide the enabling environment for the proper take off of the incubation centres and later step aside and allow the centres to have lives of their own.

    Specifically, the minister said the software incubation programme would initially be government-funded with the aim of attracting more investors in the long run.

    Shedding more light on the programme, Ms. Helen Anatogo, programme manager in charge of the implementation of the software incubation programme, in a presentation, disclosed that the Federal Goverment planned to have established six incubation software incubation centres by the end of 2015.

    Abeokuta, Enugu, Ife and Abuja have been chosen as potential centres for the establishment of incubation centres in the country. The choice is based on parameters like presence of large students and availability of tertiary institutions in the areas.

    The focus of the software incubation programme and centres, according to her, include enterprise software development, linguistic software, custom programming, mobile software, business intelligence and gaming.

    Essentially targeted at students, start-ups and software development companies, the programme would offer business and technological training, access to software development tools at no cost, use of facilities and computer resources for development purposes, mentoring, assistance with marketing and promotion, as well as access to finance.

     

  • Benefits of social networking, by expert

    AN expert has listed sharing of ideas about entrepreneurship and getting feedback from customers as some of the advantages of social networking sites.

    Speaking with The Nation, the General Manager, Yookos Nigeria, Mr Gboyega Adelowore, said: “Social networking sites are platforms that make social engagement a lot easier. It’s not just about making friends but also engaging brands for products and services. With greater inclusion in social networking, we see more idea sharing and entrepreneur rising.

    “Also, brands now find it a lot easier to engage their customers and get useful feedbacks that can help them grow. These are important for the growth of any economy.

    “Deep Internet penetration directly impact trade through exchange of ideas, goods and services and social networking sites make it easy. This is extremely important.”

    On Yookos, he said the firm has embarked on initiatives to match the social networking requirements of social media users by offering an exciting and engaging product, adding that the release of the desktop version dovetails the recent launch of its much anticipated mobile web version late last year in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    By offering the mobile version meant especially for phones, Yookos has made it possible for more people to join the fastest growing social network in Africa, he explained.

    According to him, what makes Yookos to be a social networking site of choice is its ability to blend a multiplicity of social media functionalities and features into one intuitive and robust platform. Thus, its users do not have to have accounts on diverse social media platforms as all their requirements are met on a single platform. Users are not only able to sign-in with their other existing social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and Linked-In but they can now easily share all their Yookos posts with friends and family on these platforms as well.

    He said Yookos ensured that users get the functions they require from a social network.

    “The intention on this latest version is not different but a significant step-up in the offering once a user signs-up. It is a bouquet of offerings that one would normally have to go through a few sites to enjoy all found in one place,” he added.

    Also, Chief Executive Officer, Yookos Nigeria, Tomisin Fashina, said: “Users can enjoy all these benefits with the comfort of knowing that they are in a safe and clean online environment free from any violent or abusive content.”

     

  • Firm unveils Internet products

    Internet security firm, Norton by Symantec, has released the latest versions of its security products into the market. They are Norton 360, Norton Internet Security, and Norton Anti-Virus.

    The products are Windows 8 compatible and engineered to make Windows 8 safer and faster compared with running Windows Defender on Windows 8.

    In a statement, the Group President, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec, Janice Chaffin, said the products will guarantee the security of users online.

    “According to this year’s Norton Cybercrime Report, one in 10 social network users said they’d fallen victim to a scam or fake link on social network platforms. Today, consumers are living nearly every aspect of their lives online and often putting personal information at risk.“

  • Otudeko chairs digital confab

    Business mogul and chairman, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Ayoola Oba Otudeko, has accepted to be the chairman of the forthcoming Digital Africa Conference & Exhibition, slated for April 23-25, 2013 in Abuja.

    According to a statement from the convener of the confab, Dr. Evans Woherem, MD/CEO of Compumetrics Solutions Limited, he is excited by the gesture of the foremost industrialist. “We are delighted that this distinguished Nigerian, foremost investor, and respected African business leader will chair the 3-day Digital Africa 2013.”

    Mr. Oba Otudeko was the pioneer chairman of the Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce which he led from May 2000 till June 2011. During this period, trade between both countries grew from $16.5 million in 1999 to $2.9 billion in 2010.

    Giving an update about the event, Woherem said, “Our focus is to bring ICT people from Africa and the rest of the world to interact closely with the users and consumers of ICT across major sectors of the society such as agriculture, SMEs, hospitals and clinics.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Eight staff get Airtel’s long service award

    Airtel Nigeria has honoured eight of its employees for putting in 10 years in service.

    The event held at the company’s Employee Consultative Forum (ECF) in Lagos.

    Speaking at the event, the firms’s Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Segun Ogunsanya, commended the awardees for their dedicated service to the company through the good and bad times over the past ten years.

    He said: “It is a thing of pride to see people who have put in 10 precious years of their lives in the service of Airtel Nigeria. It is a moving human-interest story and it is the kind of story we wish to encourage in Airtel Nigeria,” Ogusanya said.

    The awardees were Yetunde Okaro, Vivian Ogunbanjo, Gabriel Afunwa, Ogochukwu Chigbo, Nicholas Aigberua, Babatunde Oginni, Joshua Eru and Titilope Olusanya.

     

  • MTN, RIM partner on Blackberry 10

    MTN Nigeria and Research In Motion (RIM), makers of the brand new Blackberry Z10 smartphone, are planning to introduce the new Blackberry 10 to the country. If the deal sails through, MTN will be the first to bring the latest Blackberry to the Nigerian market.

    MTN customers will be among the first users in the world to experience the new product, which has been re-designed to give customers a unique experience.

    Speaking on the deal, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, Larry Annetts, said the firm is giving them value for their money.

    “MTN is offering pre-order opportunities thus conferring on our customers the privilege of being one of the first to own the device in Nigeria. Not only that, those who pre-order will get the smartphone at a bargain price and they will be contacted for pickup at locations of their choice even before the phones become commercially available at retail stores. They are not required to make any deposits; they will simply pay on delivery,” he said.

    MTN Nigeria has an alliance with RIM, dating back to 2007, when MTN Nigeria was the first telecoms company in Africa to offer Blackberry on pre-paid.

    Analysts say the success of the Blackberry 10 will largely rest on winning back those customers who fled for the gorgeous hardware and exceptional user interface of the iPhone or fancied the range of phones running Android. The task is tougher here, though at least BlackBerry has 70,000 apps available on day one. This is a remarkable achievement and is many ways is enough to be going on with. Apple and Android have over 700,000 apps each, but the number of jewels is much lower.

     

  • The fall of cybercafé

    About ten years ago, cybercafe business was highly profitable. The owners were virtually minting money. Now the story is different. Cybercafe can hardly make ends meet. Many businesses have closed shop because of huge debts. Those still in business are merely existing. Lucas Ajanaku reports

     

     

    When he left Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, about 10 years ago, Kayode Adeyeye had made up his mind not to seek a white collar job. He took this step because he had seen people who, after leaving school became ‘professional applicants.’

    To achieve his dream, Adeyeye mobilised funds from relatives and friends to set up a cybercafé in his neighbourhood in Agbado-Ijaye, a Lagos suburb.

    “I did not want to be a liability after graduating. I raised about N1.5 million and ploughed it into cybercafe business. I got 10 personal computers (PCs), rented a warehouse, bought an electricity generating set, got some furniture in place and started business,” he said.

    According to him, at the beginning, business was good; money was coming in from people who came to browse the Internet. An hour attracted about N200. He had problems coping with the huge customer traffic. Since necessity is the mother of invention, his wife introduced snacks and soft drinks and the business flourished. That was then.

    Today, the story has changed. One hour browsing time has come down to N100.

    At Karimu Laka Street, Egbeda, another Lagos suburb, a large building used to house DS Cybercafé and Computer Training Centre. Five years ago, the building was a beehive as men, women, old and young, thronged the place to browse and get computer education. He combined the business with Internet calls. His peak period was during the American Diversity Lottery programme. But the story has since changed as the firm has closed shop.

    The Emesck Solutions Cybercafe in Abule Odu, also a Lagos suburb, has also been deserted. The Client Service Executive, Yetunde Odukoya, a part time student of Wolex Polytechnic, said as at 8.30 am, she had not attended to any customer.

    “Before the advent of Blackberry and other smartphones, business was good. Now, with a mobile phone of about N2,500, one can take and send picture, chat, check email and do other things on the Internet. What has compounded the woes of the business is that most of the mobile operators give 10 megabytes (MBs) of data to their customers on purchase of N100 worth of airtime. This will last me for two weeks,” she said.

    She added that power supply and regular raid on cafes by security agencies have contributed to the near-demise of the business. The gradual migration of examinations and recruitment into the armed forces in the country to the electronic platform that ought to have boosted the income of operators is not doing so. “Tutorial centres and private schools buy laptop, biometric data capturing machine, printers and other things needed to register candidates online,” she added.

    According to a report, in 2003, the country had over 15,000 cyber cafes, with over 10,000 of them in Lagos State alone. At the twilight of 2007, this figure paled into insignificance to just about 1,002. Today, it is estimated that there are no fewer than 2,000 flourishing cybercafés in the country.

    To set up a cybercafé, one would require about N2.5 million for Internet connectivity, N150,000 monthly subscription fee; payment for rent, computers and other infrastructure that would make the place congenial for business transaction. An average cybercafé would need between 20 and 30 computers and other accompaniments, such as printers, scanners and generators. An independent Internet group in Britain revealed that Internet service providers (ISPs) in Africa lose over $400 million yearly for pairing of local traffic in exchange and international bandwidth provision. This colossal loss is incurred because most African countries do not have Internet exchange point (IXP) where ISPs can interconnect and share local traffic.

    Adeyeye recalled that he paid N450,000 to DPC to acquire its modem alone and another N30,000 monthly subscription fee. “How much you pay as subscription is a function of the number of computers you intend to use. When I was in business, I used only 10 computers and paid N450,000 and N30,000 monthly subscription fee,” he said.

    Like Miss Odukoya, he said the undulating power supply by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), constant harassment and extortion from security men, emergence of the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and private telephone operators (PTOs) offering Internet service in their bouquets and the ear of unified licences have contributed to the near-moribund state the business in the country.

    Though the cost of browsing has gone down drastically from between N150 and N200 per hour to about N120 per hour, administrative cost continue to rise. Rent is reviewed yearly while the pump price of petrol underwent adjustments for more than a dozen times under former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration. Today, automotive gas oil (AGO) or diesel goes for N150 per litre in the Lagos area while petrol is N97 per litre.

    Adeyeye said: “You don’t get power supply from PHCN but they never stop bringing bills.” For his 40 kva generator, which runs on diesel, he spends N9,000 while the other two that use petrol would accommodate about 15 litres, costing N1,455; this lasts for only six hours before. The problem is that the generators pack up no sooner had they been bought. “I bought that generator for N80,000; used it for only one month and it packed up,” he lamented. His four generators have parked up, adding that he used them for only three months.

    Even when the generators work, there are always fluctuations in the signal of ISPs. Thus, for one week, the signal strength may be as low as 25 per cent. When this happens as it so often does, it is double jeopardy.

    The sudden surge in cyber crimes in the country did not help matters. The Managing Director, Brand Definitions, Richard Afolalu, said the level of cyber crime in the country has made law enforcement agents to see anyone browsing in a cybercafé as a fraudster. And contrary to the legal dictum of being presumed innocent until proven otherwise by a court, one is subjected to humiliation by barely literate, but perpetually inebriated policemen.

    “If you are unlucky to be arrested at a cybercafé or attacked by armed gangs who dispossess you of your cash and valuables, would you go there again? So, people who can afford modems and pay for data stay at home and do whatever they want to do,” he said.

    Cybercafés were real haven for young cyber criminals.By special arrangements, these criminals pay their way to have night access to the cafes where they send scam mails. “Whenever you see any cybercafé operating overnight browsing, it is with an intention to defraud. These boys, called Yahoo Boys, pay them to use the facility,” a security expert said on condition of anonymity.

    But an operator denied this, saying those with criminal intentions do it within the confines of their bedrooms. Though this brings more cash to mobile operators, it also attract international odium to the nation. E-commerce and transaction have remained low in Africa because of Internet fraud. In 2005, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) carried out an operation that led to the seizure of goods worth N319 million in Lagos alone while the EFCC made seized over $1 billion.

    Some years ago, officials of the EFCC and Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) agreed to discontinue overnight browsing. Besides, they were to run their services on membership instead of the pay-as-you-go format that is dominant in the country.

    The intervention of the EFCC was as a result of the enactment of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Offences Act 2006, signed into law on June 5, 2006 by Chief Obasanjo which transferred the policing of cyber crime to telecoms operators and also empowered the EFCC to enforce provisions of the act.

    Even with these challenges, the proprietor of Emesck Solutions who simply identified himself as Emeka, said hope is not lost. “Not many people use hand held devices. Students come in and do research. Turnover may be small, cybercafes will continue to fill the gap,” he said on telephone.