The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Computer

  • Don: don’t scrap computer, civic studies

    Don: don’t scrap computer, civic studies

    Educationist, Prof. Sandra Duru, has kicked against proposals to remove Computer Studies and Civic Education from the curriculum, warning that this will be a setback for development, democracy and global competitiveness.

    Reacting to remarks credited to Senator Ireti Kingibe questioning the relevance of the two subjects, Duru, in a statement shared via her official social media platforms, expressed shock that this could even be up for debate. The comments have since sparked public discourse among education stakeholders and civil society.

    The professor argued that in an age driven by technology, artificial intelligence and digital innovation, computer studies has become a fundamental life skill rather than an optional subject. According to her, basic computer literacy is critical for problem-solving, creativity and access to opportunities in banking, healthcare, governance and entrepreneurship.

    “A child who lacks basic computer knowledge is disadvantaged tomorrow,” she said, calling for computer studies to be made compulsory from primary to secondary, with funding and regular curriculum updates in line with global standards.

    On civic education, Duru described the subject as indispensable to building responsible citizens and addressing challenges, such as corruption, lawlessness and weak civic engagement.

    She linked leadership and governance problems to poor civic literacy, warning that removing the subject would worsen these, and clarified that civic education is not a duplication of government studies, explaining that while government focuses on political structures, constitutions and power relations, civic education emphasises values, rights, duties, ethical conduct, tolerance and active participation in society.

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    “They are complementary, not redundant, one explains the state, the other shapes the citizen,” she noted, adding that many developed countries continue to prioritise citizenship education under different names to sustain informed and responsible societies.

    Duru cautioned that eliminating civic education could produce graduates who understand governance systems but lack ethical grounding and social responsibility, a situation she described as dangerous for a country already grappling with voter apathy and intolerance.

    Beyond curriculum matters, the educationist also proposed the institutionalisation of emotional intelligence training as a mandatory certification for public officers, arguing that many governance failures stem from emotional immaturity rather than lack of intellectual capacity.

    Addressing the Minister of Education and the National Assembly, Duru said the focus of the debate should be on strengthening, not weakening, these subjects. “The question is not whether these subjects should be removed, but why they are not already compulsory, adequately resourced and continuously improved across all levels of education,” she said.

    As discussions continue ahead of possible policy reviews, stakeholders have intensified calls for reforms aimed at deepening digital skills and civic consciousness as part of efforts to secure Nigeria’s future in a rapidly changing world.

  • Computer rejects UTME candidates in Anambra

    No fewer than 10 candidates for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Anambra State failed to participate in the examination due to failure of the computer to confirm their thumbprint. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent,  who monitored the UTME in Awka on Friday, reports that the affected candidates for the examination were walked out of the hall because the computers could not confirm them as candidates.

    Some of the candidates who spoke to NAN expressed shock that the computers rejected them after printing out their details. one of the affected candidates, Miss Chiamaka Okoro, said she registered for the UTME with a centre at Basilica of the Holy Trinity Center at Onitsha but was asked to leave the hall when the com puter could not confirm her candidacy for the exam.

    Okoro said that she had lodged her complaint at the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) office in Awka as was directed by its official at the centre. Mr Paschal Okoro, the father of the candidate, described the experience as `embarrassing’ saying that a letter had been submitted to the Abuja office through the Awka JAMB office. He called on the examination body to work on the correction process as soon as possible to enable the students participate in the ongoing examination.

    Another candidate whose thumb print was rejected by computer, Miss Francisca Onuzulike said that her details were not also confirmed at her exam centre adding that she had already lodged her complaints to JAMB. Onuzulike however, said that there was no specific as surance from JAMB officers but that her complaint was documented in a paper given to them. On her part, Miss Amarachi Orjiaka, said that her thumb print was not popping up during her verification at her Army Day Centre in Onitsha which led to her not taking part in the April 11 examination scheduled for 7am.

    Orjiaka said that the mix up was very demoralising and appealed to the examination body to take quick action and create a date for her own examination. Meanwhile, Miss Ngozi Nwude a senior officer at Integral Development Consults IDK,Computer Based Test (CBT) approved centre in Awka metropolis said that the UTME was moving on well in the centre Nwude said that some of their candidates had thumb print confirmation problem and that their records had been taken and incident form given to the affected candidates to fill for actions to be taken by the appropriate body.

    She said outside the thumb print confirmation that there was no other problem encountered so far while the examination progressed. Miss Charity Uboma, a candidate of the centre told NAN that she experienced no hitches while answering her questions. Miss Grace Kachi, another candidate from the IDK centre said that she preferred the CBT to pencil and paper examinations. NAN reports that the JAMB officers refused to speak to the correspondent who was in the office to ascertain the situation of the examinations in the state. The agency also reports that 33 approved CBT centres exist in Anambra and that UTME was ongoing in the state. (NAN)

  • Female engineers, computer programmers wanted – UN report

    Female engineers, computer programmers wanted – UN report

    The world urgently needs more female engineers and computer programmers, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has said.

    UNESCO stated this in its Science Report: Towards 2030”, released ahead of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, marked annually on Feb. 11.

    The report says the world needs science and science needs women, however, showing that women are increasingly graduating with life science degrees but are still rare in engineering and computer science, especially in developed economies.

    “An analysis of computer science shows a steady decrease in female graduates since 2000 that is particularly marked in high-income countries.

    “This should be a wake-up call,” UNESCO said.

    “Female participation is falling in a field that is expanding globally as its importance for national economies grows, penetrating every aspect of daily life,” the report stated.

    The share of women graduates in computer science between 2000 and 2012 slipped in Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and the U.S., as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean, it said.

    The share of women working as engineers is also higher in some developing countries, with increases observed in sub-Saharan and Arab countries, according to the report.

    It said women in the United Arab Emirates, for example, had benefited from national polities that promote training and employment of Emirates citizens, and in particular women.

    “Women now account for 53 per cent of world’s bachelor’s and master’s graduates in science and 43 per cent of PhDs, according to the UNESCO report.

    “Since 2000, there has been a steady increase in female graduates in agricultural sciences, likely driven by an emphasis on national food security and the food industry.

    “In sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, female graduates in agricultural science have been increasing steadily, with women comprising 40 per cent or more of graduates in Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

    “Medicine is also a field increasingly popular with women, with six out of 10 researchers being women in both medical and agricultural sciences in Belarus and New Zealand, for instance.”

    In research, however, it said women still lag men at 28 per cent.

    The figure fluctuates geographically with women in Southeast Europe are on par with men, and at 44 per cent in Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. According to the report, the numbers are particularly low in the EU, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

    To encourage women and girls to study and work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the UN said it has organised a number of events around the world.

    In 2016, UNESCO and the L’Oréal Foundation launched the manifesto For Women in Science, to engage governments and stakeholders in promoting the full participation of girls and women in science. (NAN)

  • Man uses nude pictures to blackmail female victims

    Man uses nude pictures to blackmail female victims

    A 35 -year- old man, Michael Atanda, who has been extorting money from four ladies with threat to expose their nude pictures on the social media has been arrested in Lagos.

    Atanda, a computer science National Diploma holder of a popular computer school based in Ikeja, was arrested on Thursday by the surveillance Team of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command after about five days of baiting and monitoring.

    The Police in a press statement said the accused, ex – convict and father of three, had collected N121,000:00 from his four girlfriends with the threat but wanted the ladies to pay more or have their nude pictures leaked on social media.

    The suspect who bears Segun Bayo on facebook and a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile – Ife, reportedly said he usually adds several ladies on Facebook and after two weeks, he would start chatting with them.

    “The profile picture on my facebook account is that of a guy based in London, and so as part of my introductions to ladies, I tell them that, I am a Construction Engineer as well as that my parents and I are living in Europe” the suspect said.

    ” After sometime, I would lure them into sexual conversations during which, I persuaded them to send their nude pictures to me. They would send and I would send mine to them too.
    ” Before that I would pretend that I was seeking a serious relationship with them, and that very soon, I would be coming to Abuja on a business trip, during which I would see them.
    “I would again feign my seriousness by calling them with the aid of computer software that transforms my Nigerian line into an international line. Meanwhile, I would warn them that I was calling through a public phone booth.
    ” As soon as they have sent their nude pictures, I would come up with all manners of stories. And begin to extort and blackmail them. Through this means, I have collected over N121, 000:00 from my latest victims.
    ” I was jailed last year in a similar circumstance after fraudulently collected N700, 000:00 from a lady I met through a dating site. I was eventually bailed but the case is still pending in the court” he confessed .
    ” I have collected only 10,000:00 from Funmilola, Motunrayo, N6,000, Joy, N5,000 and Lizzy, N100,000:00” .
    Apart from Lizzy, who reported the incident but declined to press charges, three other suspects, who were discovered during investigations, acknowledged on phone calls they have been paying the suspect so that he doesn’t leak their nude photographs online.
    Though, investigators have reached out to more victims after checking the suspect’s facebook conversations with a number of ladies, all of them have reportedly refused to come forward, after confirming they were paying the suspect through his bank statement.
    Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Suprintendent Dolapo Badmos, said that the Police were carrying out a thorough investigation on the case to aid prosecution.
    The suspect has been transferred to SCID for further investigations.

  • 1000 students graduate from lawmaker’s computer training

    In fulfilment of his campaign promises, Nollywood star cum politician Desmond Elliot, who represents Surulere constituency  in the Lagos State House of Assembly, has trained about 1000 students in computer literacy and skill acquisition.

    The two-week programme, which was in partnership with an information technology firm, Tech Quest, involved students between six and 16 years.

    The participants also acquired vocational skills in soap making, shoe making and tailoring.

    Elliot said the gesture was part of his own way of giving back to the public and preparing the children for a challenging future.

    According to him, participants were  drawn from within Surulere constituency, irrespective of tribe or party alliance.

    He said of the lot, the best 32 would be trained as facilitators in the next edition of the programme.

    Elliot said: “We are going to give the best 32 among them an indepth training in computer so that by next edition, they would also be among facilitators that will tutor the next 1000 students.

    He continued: “The world is going global and if Surulere is not thinking globally then we will be lagging behind in the next 10 years.”

    One of the co-founder of Tech Quest, Charles Uchenna Emembolu, explained that students were taken through computer programming and animation.

    “I must say some of these students are some of the best we have ever taught,” Emembolu noted.

    “We had lessons in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language); it is a programming language in computer that can be used to develop websites. We also had lessons in SCRATCH: it is a computer tool the children use in creating animation. It makes the children want to know about the computer and invariably in developing their mental creativity,” he added.

     

  • Medical students teach pupils computer programming

    Medical students teach pupils computer programming

    To commemorate the world’s Computer Science Education week, medical students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), last Wednesday, visited Ishaga Close Primary School in Mushin to teach the pupils how to perform coding on computer.

    The volunteer students, under the banner of Codes Without Borders, said they were committed to raising next generation of computer programmers. Hour of code is a trademark of Code.org, which has the objective to introduce computer science to children of all ages.

    The convener, Babatunde Alli, a final year Dentistry student, said the initiative was borne out of his experience with unnamed 12-year-old pupil whose ability in computer operation surprised the group. He said the group believed it was unalienable right of the Nigerian child to be exposed to basic computer science education.

    He said: “Exposing children to basic computer education at tender age would go a long way in preparing them for the future, irrespective of their chosen careers.It would also help them to be technology-inclined like their counterparts in other parts of the world.”

    The Head Teacher of the school, Mrs Abosede Oginni, received the volunteers and divided the pupils into different groups. The primary six pupils were placed in groups of three and attached to a volunteer. They were introduced to fundamentals of coding, such as algorithmic thinking, sequencing, pattern recognition, loops, conditionals and debugging, through engaging puzzles in Box Island application. The pupils learnt how to give instructions to computers and how to implement it in order to solve a problem.

    Miss Christiana Akande, a volunteer, described it as a beautiful initiative. She said: “It is a great idea teaching these young ones how to code. It is a good way of opening their eyes to the advantages of the computer in the 21st century. The children in my group were excited and did not want the session to end.”

    One of the pupils, Miss Oluwaseun Adeola, said the training had developed her interest in computing and programming. She said: “I want to be able to use the computer to create games.”

    The volunteers praised the school for partnering with them to teach pupils about computer programming. They said the skill could be used to change economy of the country.

  • 341 graduate from free computer training

    341 graduate from free computer training

    The first set of students have graduated from the free computer training programme given to them by a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Oshodi/Isolo Constituency 11, Hon. Jude Idimogu.

    Over 341 students received their certificates of completion. In all, three students emerged overall best. They are Odesola Oloruntooni, Alarape Oluwafunke and Udoh Abraham. Each of them received a cash award of N25,000.

    Idimogu said the first phase of training was targeted at the Isolo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), adding that training would commence in Ejigbo very soon for the people living in the area.

    “This computer programme is just the first phase. Another phase will start in Ejigbo; in due course we will let you know. For those that have not benefited when that opportunity comes, please avail yourselves of the opportunity byattending,” he said, adding that there is opportunity for anyone who is willing to learn.

    Speaking during the opening of the constituency office/graduation ceremony of the poverty alleviation project for students in Lagos, Idimogu said the motive was to make students be abreast of information technology (IT), urging them as well as the elderly ones to avail themselves of the opportunity so as to be relevant on the international scene

    The project, he said, was the first among the various empowerment projects to be implemented, adding that it is in fulfilment of sincere commitment to bringing the dividends of democracy to the people in the constituency.

    He said: “Our goal is to be parliamentarians of distinction representing the people for an effective legislation and grassroots development while our mission is to serve the people of Oshodi/Isolo constituency 11 with almost dedication in the Lagos State House of Assembly for an improved welfare and infrastructure.” He stated that his goal was to see to the betterment of the people of Oshodi/Isolo Constituency 11

    “It is noteworthy that this computer training programme is a personal initiative to give back to the people of my constituency and to support the less-privileged that may not be able to fund training like this to be able to undertake such.

    “To the beneficiaries of this project, I have no doubt that a lot have been learnt and that the instructors/trainers have imparted to you enough knowledge during the training period. My word of advice for you is to build upon this knowledge and subsequently channel it to positive/productive use in your life endeavours.”

    He said the present generation cannot do without information technology as all our endeavours solely depend on it, stressing the urgent need to give it all we could.

    He said though there were financial constraints, he however said as more resources become available, it would be channelled towards the benefits of the people of the constituency.

    He therefore appealed for support, co-operation and understanding so as to succeed in this laudable assignment

    The Proprietor, JIDAB Computer ICT Centre, Olajide Olaitan said the free computer training was the first of its kind in the Isolo Constituency. He said it was a good beginning for the students to excel in their academic pursuit and to be relevant in today’s world of computer age

    He, however, stated that computer was a broad course that requires more to be learnt. He, therefore, urged the students to expand their computer knowledge through further trainings

    He solicited government’s support, noting that computer training was broad and as such needed government’s support for expansion through financing.

    The Chairman of the Occasion, Dele Ashiru said the computer programme would impact positively on the lives of the beneficiaries as well as the society.

    While commending the initiative, Ashiru said “the lawmaker has humbled himself so much to the extent that he is being loved by everybody in Oshodi/Isolo and beyond”. He added that he has taken steps to educate the youth, empower them and to make them leaders of the future.

  • Take your vehicles for computer test’

    It is not enough to have a spare tyre or fire extinguisher and those other things road safety managers insist on; you should also present your vehicle for computer test.

    At the first anniversary of the Abuja Computerised Vehicle Testing Service (CVTS), its executive officer Mr Segun Obayendo urged motorists in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to take their vehicles to CVTS centre for the test.

    He said the measure prevents accidents.

    Obayendo said the measure had been around for decades.

    “Now we have improved on it by using state-of-the-art equipments. The problem is that it is new and we lack the tendency to resist change, even if it is to our own advantage. That is what has affected this project, but with consistent sensitisation programmes, we will get people to comply.

    “When we go on enforcement, sometimes we get motorists who are not with the inspection report and some are still having the handwritten Road Worthiness Certificates, that is not what we are issuing out after the inspection, it is against our laws. We believe that as time goes on, people will do the right things on the issue of road worthiness,” he said.

    He also frowned at the fact that the vehicles inspection center has been able to inspect just 14,000 vehicles in the FCT in the past one year in their two vehicles inspection centres, which he said is a very small number compared to their expectations.

    “The two centres we have, have capacity of 250 each, which 500 vehicles per day. That means we are supposed to have inspected over 140,000 in one year, if the people were complying.

    “For now the sanction of offenders is that when they are caught, we compel them to go through the exercise for them to get the road worthiness certificate and then they will pay a fine of N2000 for not complying with the law initially,” he said.

    The Permanent Secretary, FCT administration, Mr. John Chukwu, further advised the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) FCT chapter and the FCT Transport Secretariat to partner with the vehicles inspection testing services in order to have safety on FCT roads.

    “We are also encouraging motorists in the FCT to Make use of this facilities, by ensuring that their vehicles are worthy of road use. If they do it, they are ensuring the safety of their passengers, families and their own lives.

    “That is why we are encouraging both the FCT Transport Secretariat and the Road Safety to collaborate with the VIO, to ensure that these facilities are used. In doing that, we are going to reduce the numbers of lost lives and fatalities on our roads,” he said.

    Merit Awards of Excellence were given to the immediate past FCT Transport Secretariat Secretary, Engr. Jonathan Ivoke, Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase and FRSC Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, amongst others for their contribution in ensuring that Thérè is saftefy on FCT roads.

     

  • Senator: Anyim’s office got nod for N1.4b computer software

    Senator: Anyim’s office got nod for N1.4b computer software

    A senator yesterday spoke of how poor budgeting over the years hampered Nigeria’s growth.

    Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP Abia South), in his review of budgets, especially in the immediate past administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, highlighted huge inconsistencies in budgetary processes and duplication of subheads which accounted for poor implementation.

    He cited the approval of N1.4billion by Jonathan’s administration for the acquisition of computer software for the Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government between 2012 and 2015.

    One-time Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim is the immediate past occupant of the office.

    Abaribe, who spoke in Benin City, the Edo State capital, was delivering the 2015 Faculty of Social Sciences Annual Lecture of the University of Benin (UNIBEN). The topic was “Our Country, our budget: A critical analysis of Nigerians budgeting system”. He said the office of the SGF had N1.223 billion as welfare package, with N580 million voted for subscription to bodies in the 2015 budget.

    He said: “A breakdown of the money appropriated in the last four years indicates that in 2012, N250 million was appropriated for software acquisition, yet the sub head appeared again, gulping N100 million while the sum of N580 million was budgeted for the same expenditure.

    “I begin with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. What could justify the allocation of N1.223 billion to that office for welfare packages? The same office also has N367.715 million for subscription to professional bodies and N580 million for computer software acquisition.

    “Computer software in this case constitutes a veritable sink holes for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) seeking to pillage the treasury.

    “Still on this office, let’s take time to examine this computer software acquisition. In 2012, N250 million was appropriated for software acquisition. In 2013, the subhead appeared again, gulping N100 million. Now in 2014, N580 million was appropriated for it.

    “What is this computer software that a particular office acquire every year? Which privately-owned company acquires computer software to the tune of N100 million – and more – every year?

    “If you check the budget for every MDA of the Federal Government, you will see identical provisions for computers, software and consumables year in year out.”

    According to the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Sam Edo, the lectures are to foster interactions between the government and the governed through the requisite exposition thereby making learning pleasurable.

    Senator Abaribe graduated from the faculty 30 years ago.

  • Computer Warehouse Group eyes better returns on new business model

    Shareholders of Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) Plc can expect better returns in the years ahead as the company’s subscription business begins to gather momentum.

    Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) Plc, Mr. Austin Okere, said the company’s subscription business model, which was conceived five years ago to re-invent and transit the company into predictable revenue and profit growth pattern has started yielding fruits.

    From a small startup some 23 years ago with seed capital of barely N160,000, CWG has grown to become one of Africa’s largest system integrators with revenues of more than $100 million, 650 members of staff and operations across Nigeria and three other African countries.

    Okere noted that the opportunities that CWG has successfully pursued under her subscription business include providing a cloud solution for micro finance institutions in partnership with MTN (a solution dubbed MTN XaaS), building a cloud based solution for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to manage their businesses, partnering with openshopen.com to build an ecommerce platform for increased visibility and sales.

    According to him, CWG’s investment in building technology that addresses power theft, which is a major concern of most Power Distribution Companies, has gained significant traction with the first commercial order, and four other proof of concepts completing and progressing into commercial sales. The company has also partnered with SES Astra to operate a digital satellite television teleport service.

    He noted that being certified by the CBN as a payment terminal service provider (PTSP) will enable the company to deepen her offering in the Point of Sale and Payment systems. Recognising the need for automation and effective management of internally generated revenue, CWG has recently launched technology solutions that help state governments to increase their internally generated revenue in the area of third party Insurance management system.

    “Not unexpectedly, this has been a slow and difficult journey into innovative and uncharted territory that is beginning to show green shoots in sales, that will be consolidated in the second half of 2015. For instance, adapting the FinEdge technology platform to power the backend of the Diamond Yello Account product, has generated platform subscriber base exceeding expectation to 4 million in less than a year after launch, and with potential to grow to 10 million by the end of 2015. Also, the first order for the power theft detection and prevention system has been secured with one of the electricity distributors opening the way for a foray into a market with estimated potential in excess of $200m within the next two years,” Okere said.

    He further highlighted that the company’s SMERP business management platform has been extended to various verticals including medical, retail and manufacturing and is fast winning deals, including one with a major retail chain about to build out more than 20 outlets in Nigeria within the next two years. The CWG-SES teleport infrastructure has also begun re-broadcasting digital television signals for more than eight  broadcasters.

    “CWG’s Mobile Financial Services partnership with CIT Vericash is set to power the mobile financial services of one of the largest banks in Nigeria with plans for full scale Africa-wide deployment in the coming months. Most significantly, CWG and her consortium partners have started their first phase of the deployment of a unique third party insurance management system for one of the largest states in Nigeria. This system is projected to help the state generate significant revenue while ensuring that the public gets benefit for their mandatory third party insurance on their vehicles,” Okere said.

    He noted that while not yet Africa’s number one technology platform provider, the increasing pace of roll out of platform solutions and growth in subscriber numbers are clear pointers that CWG would reach that ambitious goal sooner than later.

    The company re-iterated her commitment to continue her focus in developing new lines of businesses, under the CWG2.0 model, which are better positioned to withstand macroeconomic shocks, especially those relating to foreign exchange movements. The new products include the flagship CWG-SMERP, the cloud based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) product for SMEs, the award-winning Openshopen.ng, her ecommerce technology platform and CWG-SES Teleport Services. Being intellectual property locally developed, implemented and supported by CWG, the business growth and profitability are immune from the shocks of foreign exchange fluctuation.

    Addressing the shareholders, the company’s Acting Chairman, Mr. Abiodun Fawunmi, remarked that “CWG Plc made significant progress in her key business objective for 2014 which was to Scale out the Subscription business in order to be the Number one Technology Platform provider in Africa by 2015, a business model that would provide predictability, as well as ensure annuity revenues

    The annual general meeting in Lagos also witnessed the election of Mr. Kunle Ayodeji as an executive member of the board in charge of Finance and Operations. Mr. Ayodeji is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in the fields of banking, financial consulting and private equity. He has held executive positions in numerous organisations including KPMG and Abraaj Capital. In the same vein, three other shareholders were also elected as members of the audit committee, while Ernst and Young was reappointed the company’s auditor for another year.