The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Data

  • Embrace data to fight insecurity – Experts tell govs-elect

    A data-scientist, Mr. Adewale Omoniyi, has said that the spate of insecurity in the country can only be curbed by the usage of data to create economic and social opportunities that will discourage crime and vices.

    Omoniyi, who was the governorship candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) in Ogun State at the last election, said the newly elected governors must reinvent their states to create a new lease of system.

    Speaking with newsmen, the renowned statistician said, “I will continue to urge the incoming governors-elect that when they come on board, they should reinvent the system especially the security of their states which will in turn impact on the security of the nation.

    “I urge them to first be organised in their approach to governance because it is apparent that the current system is not working especially as it relates to security.

    “The governors-elect, especially those in the South-West, must know that you cannot successfully preside over the people you don’t know. They must connect with the people to have a seamless administration.

    “That is why we are always saying that if government must serve the people effectively, it must have the real data of the real people. When you know the number of the people you are dealing with, it will be easier for you to fulfill your campaign promises.

    “If states are organised on the basis of data, we will know the percentage of the unemployed and cater for them. When they are employed, crime will automatically go down. It’s not all about carrying arms and ammunition; the system can correct some ills

    “Any government that cannot protect its citizens is a failed government. The foundation is for us to organise ourselves, know how many we are and how track some basic indices. This is what some of us have been doing and preaching for a long time,” he said.

  • ‘Data, others hampering electricity supply’

    THE electricity supply subsector  lacks quality and dependable data, the Executive Secretary, Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC), Dr. Joy Ogaji has said.

    Ogaji, who spoke with The Nation on telephone, she said data was necessary to determine distribution, transmission, and generation infrastructure growth requirements.

    She said the state of the market  determines whether generation capacity should increase or not.

    She said: “Again, the market was faced with financial, operational, construction, market, macroeconomic, contract and regulatory risks. Given that decisions about investments in power generating capacity depended on expected returns and costs, the illiquid state of the industry in addition to the fact that plants were performing below optimum, does not encourage capacity utilisation.

    “In addition, there was little or no emphasis on data, as nothing depended on it. Investments for the growth of the generation sub-sector did not depend on the returns from the distribution sub-sector.”

    She identified load rejection as the new problem in the industry, instead of more power generation.

    She proffered solution to the problem. “Enable efficient regulation, monitor and evaluation, guide the development of efficiency and profitability requirements, enable true customer-demographics and bankable a necessary factor in tariff disaggregation, which is questionable.

    ‘’Enable the distribution companies (DisCos) and its partners meter asset providers (MAP) to meter all the customers given their inability to account for their customers and lack of financial resources, enable the DisCos conduct a technical analysis/audit of all infrastructure to determine a bankable technical loss factor, a key input for the determination of ATC&C loss (aggregate technical, commercial, and collection loss).

    “Provide a source to verify, validate the lack of transparency and reliability issues with DisCos independent data validation. Investments to improve data quality and adequacy in all subsectors of the industry, with the priority being the distribution subsector for obvious reasons will solve a number of issues inhibiting the growth of the sector, especially the inability of the DisCos to make capital investments.”

    Ogaji, therefore, advised stakeholders to maximise capacity utilisation  to achieve low power generation costs and  address the excess capacities.

    According to her, capacity utilisation is used to measure efficiency. Average production costs tend to fall as output rises–so higher utilisation can reduce unit costs, bringing about a more competitive market which makes plants financially viable, she added.

    ‘’Utilising what is existing to get the most out of what is available, which means consuming what is available and recovering unavailable capacities, about 13,000megawatts (Mw) calls for critical evaluation of some market determinants,’’ she said.

    On why the country is in crisis, she traced the problem to privatisation. Prior to privatisation, she said, investments for generation growth did not depend on the returns from the distribution sub-sector.

  • Smile gives customers SIM with data, free voice calls

    Smile Nigeria, at the weekend, took steps to further delight its teeming customers. It introduced All-in-One subscriber identity module (SIM) offer in a manner that customers could connect and enjoy free on net voice and video calls and best rates to call any local operator and affordable data plan on reliable network.

    The offer comes in an attractive N3, 000 package, which gives unlimited on-net calls, 250 minutes to call any local network, 250 SMS, 1.5GB data and zero roaming charges while abroad. Customers can make calls from abroad at local rates. To cap it all, it has a validity of 30 days.

    To enjoy these benefits, new customers need to purchase the Smile All-In-One SIM, download and activate the app while existing customers only need to download and activate the Smile voice app from their App Store or Google Play Store.

    Its Head, Brands and Communications, Lotanna Anajemba, said the offer would be available to existing customers and new customer prospects through all Smile distribution channels including retail shops, kiosks, field sales representatives (FSRs), independent dealer outlets and online. On activation, the customers will receive their respective activation data GB, Voice minutes and SMS.

  • Edo to spark ‘new era’ in agric data collection

    THE Edo State Government is working to give farmers agricultural data – information,  essential to achieving  food security, Governor Godwin Obaseki has said.

    According to him, agriculture has entered a period where data capture and interpretation are essential for successful farming.

    Addressing BusinessDay Agribusiness & Food Security Summit  in Lagos, Obaseki said  his administration was using technology to organise and enhance data from across the agricultural landscape to enable farmers produce more food for a growing population, using natural resources in a sustainable way.

    He stressed that while high-input and resource intensive farming systems have increased food production they have come at a high cost to the environment.

    To achieve sustainable development, he said the state is working with Proforest Group to transform agriculture system by improving land conservation practices and making  real progress at producing more food with less environmental impact.

    He reiterated that the government is determined to remove the encumbrances in land acquisition through land reforms to assist  investors that have expressed their desire to set up farms and agro businesses in the state.

    Obaseki said the government was working towards  establishing ranches to address the security challenges posed by the activities of herdsmen in the state.

    The initiative, Obaseki said, will not only ensure the safety of farmers and farm produce, but provide jobs and income.

    He said Edo State has one of the best soil conditions that supports large scale cultivation of a variety of crops and good climatic condition to boot.

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Audu Ogbeh said plans are on the way to peg interest rate for agricultural lending at three per cent.

    Ogbeh added that the step was  being taken  to ensure availability of credit at a reduced interest rate for youths interested in farming.

    At the interest of between 25 and 35 percent, the minister said agriculture was not profitable, adding that failure rate occasioned by skyrocketing interest rates charged by the banks were not in the interest of the economy.

    To keep pace with population growth, he emphasised that food production needs to increase mainly through youth involvement.

    One way to achieve this, he added, was  through measures to help farmers and youths  access  credit  and benefit from technological advances.

    Head of Netherlands Representation in Nigeria, Michel Deelen  said Nigeria has the capacity to increase food production and  agriculture to boost growth rates, create more jobs, significantly reduce poverty, and grow enough  food to feed its citizens if efforts are made to improve road infrastructure.

    Discussions during the forum focused on the role of small holder farmers in ensuring food security, the challenge of climate change, and the opportunities agriculture can offer  youths.

    Stakeholders at the summit wanted the government to address constraints, including improving land tenure, expanding credit availability, investing in input markets for nutrients and machinery, developing drainage and irrigation systems, and enhancing rural transport and electricity connectivity.

    They said farmers and agribusinesses could create a trillion-dollar food market if they can expand their access to more capital, electricity, better technology and irrigated land to grow high-value nutritious foods.

     

  • Dearth of data

    •Just how dysfunctional is our oil industry? 

    HAD the information emanated from a lesser source, it may have been discounted as an exaggeration or an attempt to dis-inform. But this troubling piece of information came from an insider who ought to know, and there lies our deep discomfiture.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources (MPR), Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, has expressed worry over the non-availability of in-country data on Nigeria’s oil industry. She asserted that Nigerians had to go to the secretariat of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to source required data on Nigeria’s oil sector.

    Dr. Yemi-Esan made the declaration at the opening ceremony of OPEC’s data management training workshop in Abuja.

    In her words: “Immediately after the minister’s speech… somebody stood up and said we didn’t have data source on Nigeria. And I was actually ashamed of myself. And I think as we provide data for OPEC, we should address the question of churning out credible data to be consumed in-country. It is a pity when students are looking for data we have to go to OPEC to get data about Nigeria.”

    It is noteworthy that this revelation came out of a workshop on data management organised by OPEC here in Nigeria. As if it is not worrisome enough that vital Nigeria oil data are domiciled abroad, it takes their effort to teach Nigeria how to harness and handle data generated from her oil industry.

    We commend the permanent secretary’s candour at bringing up a seemingly self-indicting information to the public and hope that it would serve as the catalyst needed to move the MPR and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to work in tandem with other stakeholders in the oil industry to set up a robust data centre for Nigeria’s oil industry.

    Nigeria has been in oil production for more than five decades and for a long time, has ranked among the top 10 producers in the world. Crude oil has been the mainstay of the country’s economy and her most important strategic economic asset.

    On this score, it would be expected that a major strong point of Nigeria’s oil industry over these years would be the wealth of data it has managed to capture, warehouse and nurture. It is also trite to state the importance of data to such a vital industry as oil.

    Seismic data, hydrocarbons data, products data, production data, sales data, procurement data, equipment data and a dozen other variants of data necessary for study, research and development of the sector must never be lacking in the labyrinthine setup of the NNPC.

    Though it was not specified the range of oil data that is lacking in Nigeria, for there is a wide spectrum of data generated from the industry. For instance, the NNPC has a subsidiary, Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL) which seems to be concerned mainly with hydrocarbons and seismic information of the industry.

    There is no doubt that there is need for a data centre that holds and manages the entire gamut of data generated from the industry – upstream and downstream; offshore and onshore.

    Over the years, another subsidiary of the NNPC, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) which is the regulatory arm has been found to lack the capacity to monitor and regulate the oil sector in Nigeria.

    For instance, the refrain has been that the DPR still lacked the capacity – in terms of up-to-date equipment and skilled personnel – to monitor crude production output and shipments of the International Oil Companies (IOCs). The prevailing report has always been that DPR only reports figures made available to it by the IOCs.

    In other words, it has no capacity to generate authentic independent figures. But it is apposite to note that without accurate data, it would be impossible to give account of revenues generated, for instance. It is therefore no wonder that perennially, there is always disputation about revenue figures emanating from the NNPC.

    We therefore urge the Federal government to take Dr. Yemi-Esan’s exposition very seriously and move quickly to ensure that a world-class oil industry data centre is promptly set up.

    This is crucial indeed.

  • Fed Govt has data on Nigerians with hidden assets, says minister

    Fed Govt has data on Nigerians with hidden assets, says minister

    Minister of Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun has declared that the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) has given the Federal Government access to data of Nigerians with hidden assets.

    Mrs. Adeosun made this known while speaking on Good Morning Nigeria, a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) interview programme.

    According to the minister, the ease with which people evade taxes and get away with it is no longer possible because of the huge data on property ownership.

    The data, she said, were obtained from land registries, especially on properties in highbrow neighborhoods of Lagos and Abuja.

    “We have cases whereby people live somewhere else other than where their properties are located. For example, you own a property in Lagos but reside in Rivers. In the past, we relied on the honesty of such person to make his asset declaration or income made therefrom. But now, we don’t have to because we have gathered data. Now, all such a person needs to do is to declare that rent earned and pay the right tax on it,” the minister said.

    Mrs. Adeosun explained that through data collected, the Federal Government has detected many people whose lifestyle do not justify the tax they pay or who do not pay any at all.

    She assured the citizens such people would not be prosecuted or made to pay their tax arrears if they file the proper returns and regularise their tax payment before the VAIDS deadline on March 31.

    For those with assets abroad, the minister said the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEoI), to which Nigeria is signatory, will deliver data on such with or without a formal request.

    “VAIDS is a very simple formula. It takes you through a process where you look at your assets and your lifestyle and if there is a disconnect, that means your tax status is irregular,” she said.

    Asked about companies, the minister said: “Companies are also included. Using our data, we found, for example, lots of companies, which even got contracts from the Federal Government but didn’t declare those contracts or didn’t pay any tax on what they made. Or people who would prepare an invoice and add VAT but never remit the VAT to the FIRS.  So, those are the areas of non-compliance that people are correcting through VAID Scheme,” she said.

    Mrs. Adeosun also restated the determination of the Federal Government to draw the curtains on the scheme on March 31.

    She warned that there will be no extension.

    On the scale of compliance, the minister said many individuals and corporate entities have expressed the willingness to declare, adding that a lot of people will come forward as the deadline draws really close.

    This, she said, was the experience in five of the countries where tax amnesty programmes had been implemented.

     

  • NCC hosts forum on retail broadband, data today

    NCC hosts forum on retail broadband, data today

    Consistent with its consultative approach and stakeholders’ engagement for effective regulatory oversight of the telecommunications sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will today host stakeholders in the telecommunications industry and the general public to a consultative forum on determination of cost based pricing for Retail Broadband and Data Services in Nigeria.

    The event, which is slated for Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Cappa, Oshodi, Lagos, is part of the Commission’s engagement with industry players and stakeholders  to get their input before arriving at any major regulation and guidelines for the sector.

    The commission has already appointed a consultant to carry out a study on cost based pricing and will unveil its preliminary findings to stakeholders at the forum.

    Besides the consultant, there will be a keynote address after which the event becomes interactive, whereby stakeholders, industry players are expected to strategise with officials of the Commission on the best approach to cost based study to determine pricing for retail broadband and data services in Nigeria.

    The forum is in line with the Commission’s 8-point agenda to promote Accessibility, Availability and Affordability for pervasive broadband penetration.

  • PwC: data, analytics critical to business growth

    THE Director, Data and Analytics Consulting, PwC India, Amit Lundia, has said data and analytics are increasingly creating values for oragnisations that harness them across the world.

    Speaking in Lagos during a one-day Data and Analytic conference, organised by PwC Nigeria, the leading professional services firm, Lundia, highlighted the potentials, possibilities and opportunities that lie in business data assets.

    He said: “A series of trends are creating opportunities for companies to create value through data and analytics. PwC has responded to these by building a robust data and analytics apps market place.”

    Also speaking on the occasion, Partner, Data and Analytics, PwC West Africa, Femi Osinubi, said: “Every organisation has the opportunity to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of analytics for growth. However, building analytics capabilities requires strong leadership, sponsorship and proactive change management. Best in class companies harmonise internal and external data sources, setting the stage for new data applications.

    “Exemplars strategically invest in technology that enables the right analytics and makes data available to the right people. Organisations need to update business and data governance processes to align analytics, IT and business.”

    The panel team consisting the Chief Information Officer, Flour Mills, Ebenezer Onwuama, Chief Information Officer and Head, IT Services, Diamond Bank, Lanre Bamisebi and Head, Retail Banking Business, Robert Giles, said data can improve customer experience as well as drive commerce.

    They said when the business community fully realises this fact, they  will be on the right track in monetising data.

    “In terms of big data we could gather more, we could expand data by gathering data from unstructured sources. It is important to set very high standards for the way data is shared and use data for very specific purposes

    “The public sector should be engaged to develop smarter ways of using data in an intelligent manner and PwC is already doing a lot in this regard by creating awareness about the importance of data,” the panelists said.

    The forum featured other leading data and analytics experts and business leaders among whom were Director of Marketing and Operations, Microsoft Nigeria, Ade Ajayi, represented by Ola Oladiran of the same firm.

    Othere are Transformation Director, Union Bank, Joe Mbulu and top executives, consultants and stakeholders.

  • VAIDS collects data on 5m Nigerians

    The Value Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) has collected data of over five million corporate organisations and individuals. This was disclosed in a statement issued by the VAIDS office in the Federal Ministry of Finance.

    According to the statement, data collected will be subjected to further analysis to ensure that all unpaid taxes are tracked and collected. The VAIDS office also disclosed that the second phase of its data mining initiative, which starts this month, is aimed at obtaining data from all other government revenue-generating agencies such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Federal Housing Authority (FHA).

  • Airtel’s Unlimited Data campaign: A case of puffery?

    Airtel’s Unlimited Data campaign: A case of puffery?

    In Nigeria, internet is the culture. Internet has given people the opportunity to enjoy the often ridiculous pop-up broadcasts on WhatsApp, the rib-cracking videos on Instagram, vanities of Snapchat and the whimsical banters on Twitter.

    This must be the reason one of the many ads for Airtel’s Unlimited Data campaign is chronicled “Data is Life”.

    The data-is-life advert vividly depicts a stone-aged homo sapiens becoming radiant at the glitters of civilisation, fluffiness of hedonistic lifestyle and photo-flashes of smartphones. This message is very true for 53 per cent of Nigerians; that is the statistics for internet penetration.

    Another advert of Airtel storied some neigbours who depended on a young man’s internet data. They had to rush to their benefactor’s house when power went off, a scenario which mocks Nigeria’s erratic power supply. Those neighbours assembled at the Good Samaritan’s door, begging for more data to complete downloads they have initiated. This particular ad does not exaggerate the need of Nigerians not just for internet but for speedy internet data bundles.

    Thus, it was great news when Airtel Nigeria launched the Unlimited Data Plans. The data bundles go for N10, 000, N15, 000 and N20, 000 for Unlimited 10, 15 and 20 respectively. On its’ website, Airtel claims the Unlimited Data plans are “designed for heavy data activities like downloading, streaming and sharing with friends and family”.

    “Nigerians know that the subscription will expire within thirty (30) days and obviously what it promises is unhindered speed for upload and download”, an Airtel subscriber explained. At a time when Nigerians are complaining over poor quality of service (QoS) by the telcos, Airtel promised unlimited data. This would not only be good news but a technology breakthrough.

    These offerings are obviously part of the strategy to give Airtel competitive advantage. The brand is positioned as the smartphone network in a market where WhatsApp calls (active mobile internet) threatens to eclipse voice calls (active voice subscription). According to statistics released by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), telecom subscribers using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) grew by 880per cent in July 2017 relative to same period last year. Data is the new civilisation!

    However, the Unlimited Data campaign is sheer puffery. A check with Airtel’s website reveals that the  data plans are not actually unlimited. The data plans are limited by some certain Fair Usage Policies (FUP). When the consumption of Unlimited 10 reaches 40GB, the speed will be throttled to 256kbps. The Unlimited 15 and Unlimited 20 will both also throttle to a speed of 256kbps when consumption gets to 65GB and 100GB respectively. The TV commercial for the campaign could have had a caveat that “Terms and conditions apply” or a referral to the company’s website for more information.

    According to CSG Network’s download speed calculator, a 100MB file would take 51 minutes and 19 seconds to get downloaded at the speed of 256kbps. This shows that the offering is not totally unlimited and using the nomenclature for the product name is an outrageous claim which could mislead subscribers in their decision-making.

    NCC’s Guidelines on Advertisements and Promotions, No 3(e) states:“Licensees offering internet connections should state the Internet connection speed available to end-users as well as specific upload and download speed. If the connection speed quoted is only obtainable under special circumstances, then these circumstances should be clearly stated.”

    This shows that it is expected that the company quotes on the advert material, the upload and download speed and how consumption levels would chop down the data speed at a certain point. This would help decide whether the package fits for some specific use or not. Some buy data bundles to stream events and the unlimited speed is actually needed.

    Take for example the tweet from @AirtelNigeria by 3:01pm on 7th October, 2017, which said: “Get Unlimited 10 for N10, 000, Unlimited 15 for N15, 000 and Unlimited 20 for N20, 000 and start enjoying the unlimited data life!” Such a message is unambiguous in its’ promise.

    To make its message clearer, Airtel Customer Care tweeted via @airtel_care in a reply to @TransOceana that: “Each variant of bundle offers Unlimited data for 30 days, which gives you the access to share your data with loved ones”. The irony is that you would not be able to share a data with your loved ones when the speed crashes to 256kbps or less.

    Why would the commercials never mention that the data bundles will slow down in speed when consumption reaches a level? Why would Airtel not give subscribers this information via the social media? Why should very important information which borders on the limitations of an unlimited offer be released only on the website?

    Puffery in advertising is not illegal; it is rather an ethical dilemma. An ethical dilemma is a practice that does not contravene any law but may not be socially responsible. The vetting guidelines of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) states that advert “should be prepared with a high sense of social responsibility and should avoid misinformation”. It is clear that the adverts and social media posts of Airtel contain half-information about the offering and have not guided subscribers properly in making a rational decision.

    It is understandable that the competition in the telecom sector is tense. The portability access has given subscribers the freedom to switch brands without losing their lines. Out of the 91,419,943 GSM lines subscribed to internet data in Nigeria, only 22.5 per cent is subscribed to Airtel internet data plans as at July.

    Between January and July 2017, Airtel has gained an average of 2, 307 lines monthly and has lost an average of 4, 837 lines monthly due to portability. This means Airtel experienced more subscribers porting away from the network than it receives.

    This is the situation for most of the telcos in the first and second quarters of the year.

    Analysts claimed “the portability statistics as released by NCC may be a picture of consumers’ response to unfulfilled promises by some telcos”.

    Puffing and fluffing in advertising is a common practice in the telecom sector. Consumers are always reacting with vitriolic attacks on social media against the untrustworthy networks whenever it becomes clear that their marketing messages were completely exaggerated. Those attacks on telcos via the social media deplete the goodwill of the brand and aids brand switch through portability.

    In his book, Principles and Practice of Advertising, author Hillary Chidi Ozoh stated that advertising has a duty of accountability and that “this duty of accountability is largely a consequence of the overriding social responsibility philosophy that the media should be socially responsible”.

    The author, a lecturer and examiner with APCON, said “incomplete description” and “partial disclosures” are forms of deceptive advertising. Incomplete description is explained as “stating some, but not all of the contents of a product”, while partial disclosures is explained as “stating what a product can do but not what it cannot do”.