The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ICT

  • Ondo Teachers for ICT skill

    The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASSUS) Ondo State chapter, has organised a training for its members in Information Communication Technology (ICT).

    Its Chairman, Mr Dayo Adebiyi who spoke in Akure, the state capital at this year’s World Teachers Day last week, said teachers should sieze the opportunity to learn to use the computer in their own interest.

    According to him, the union would be ready to help members acquire computers and the needed training so as to remain relevant in the profession.

    Adebiyi maintained that education without computer literacy would soon become obsolete both professionally and personally.

    This, he said, has to do with skills required to source for information online.

    Adebiyi said arrangements have been concluded to assist members who are yet to acquire their own computer laptop or tablets to apply for the third batch of the system.

    “We have concluded fresh arrangement for supplies of cheaper tablets for interested members to benefit from.”

    Adebiyi said the theme of the  celebration -”invest in teachers” explained how teaching is witnessing unprecedented changes.

    He said the world has suddenly become a global village where nation states are all grappling with realities of defining their status and strength along both technology and scientific development in an emerging scientific global village competition.

    According to him, the vehicle through which the global race is being prosecuted is ICT which leading nations like China, America, Britain,Japan, Russia, Germany, France, have become active and relevant participants.

    Adebiyi said the socio-political and economic potentials and advancement of any country, are being gauged, measured and assessed by the high level of her techno-scientific development and the quality of her human capital development, which Nigeria lacks at the moment.

    He regretted that over the years, government institutions in most under developed nations including Nigeria, have failed to carry out their statutory roles to drive both policies and reform programmes to help develop the economy.

     

     

     

  • Vodacom empowers youths through ICT

    In its continuous effort to bridge the gap between theories taught in the classroom and real life situations, Vodacom Business Nigeria organised a two day industrial tour for students from the Department of Engineering and information Technology, Covenant University, Nigeria.

    The visit was aimed at providing first–hand experience and a unique opportunity for the students to gain insight into a working environment related to their field of study. The industrial tour which took place at Vodacom’s offices in Ikoyi focused on “Demystifying Cloud Computing” and students got an in-depth knowledge of Cloud technology, how it works and how it is applied to modern businesses.

    Speaking during the visit, the Managing Director, Vodacom Business Nigeria, Guy Clarke, said “Our commitment is centered on the concept that the more knowledgeable the youth are, the greater their opportunity for employment. We know that Cloud Computing plays a big role in the ICT industry today and it would contribute to the further growth of Nigerian businesses as the technology is gaining wider acceptance in the business world”. According to him, the workshop is one of the company’s many contributions towards the development of skills and job creation opportunities for young people.

    Cloud computing will continue to change the world and in many cases, young people drive this process even without knowing it. With millions of youths in Nigeria connected to the Internet, many use cloud through collaboration and social networking tools. There is no better way to encourage this change than exposing the young people to the technical, business and leadership skills required for Cloud technology innovations.

  • Inlaks gets Sales and Strategy director

    Inlaks, a distributor of Temenos T24 banking application in West Africa, has appointed Mr. Precious Osegi as its new Director, Sales and Strategy, Financial Business Unit.

    In a statement, the company described Osegi as a highly experienced senior business leader with over 18 years experience in information communications technology (ICT) markets across the United States of America (USA), Middle East and Africa (ME&A).

    Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Inlaks, Africa Operations, Mr.  Femi Adeoti, welcomed Osegi to Inlaks.

    He said his vast experience in the ICT industry would be of immense benefit to the growth and development of  the firm in the country and Africa.

  • Smile Communications bags ICT award

    Smile Communications bags ICT award

    Smile Communications, a broadband service provider has been awarded the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Investment Operator of the Year, for its massive investments in 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) broadband service, in ensuring that Nigerians have easy access to fast internet service.

    The company was recognised alongside other operators by the Nigerian Telecoms Awards, which held its tenth ceremony with fanfare in Lagos at the weekend.

    Former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel and the Lagos State Commissioner of Science and Technology, Adebiyi Mabadeje, who presented most of the award plaques, commended Smile Communications and other award recipients for emerging winners at this years’ awards.

    Receiving the award on behalf of the company, its General Manager, Sales and Distribution, Mr. Kenneth Esenwah expressed happiness over the award, and explained that the company’s vision to offer fast internet service to Nigerians is beginning to yield results as more Nigerians are benefiting from the affordable and fast internet service that is being offered by Smile.

    According to him, Smile Communications saw huge business opportunity to serve the Nigerian internet market, even though it entered into the market at a time when security challenges were serious issues to national broadband rollout. “We came into the market in 2013 when Nigerians were having difficulties with slow speed internet service and within a short period of time, we changed all of that and today, Nigerians on the Smile network are enjoying fast internet service at affordable rates,” Esenwah said.

  • Rotary donates ICT centre to school

    To engender skills acquisition in Information Communication Technology (ICT), the Rotary Club of Omole Golden, has donated a fully equipped ICT laboratory centre to Oke-Ira Senior Secondary School in Ogba, Lagos.

    The inuaguration of the project was performed by the Deputy Director of Basic Studies in the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr Abiodun Oni, who represented the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye.

    Oni said: “I want to thank members of this great club not only for the gesture, but for being good partners in the development of education in Lagos State. I also want to urge the school management not to disallow pupils from making use of the facilities provided, but ensure it is put to good use.”

    The President of the club, Mr. Chris Alabi, explained that Rotary would sustain the facility for one year before handing it over to the state for further maintenance.

    “We have spent part of our limited resources to set up this facility and we believe that it will be put to proper use in empowering pupils and teachers with ICT skills. In addition, we will maintain the center for one year including the internet facility after which it would be handed over to the Lagos State Ministry of Education for its further sustenance,” he said.

    Earlier, an induction exercise for new members of the club was performed by the District Governor of Rotary (District 9110), Dr. Dele Balogun, who lauded members of the club for donating the centre.  Balogun urged new members to imbibe the four-way test of Rotary Club in the development of the larger society.

    The high point of the event was formal presentation of certificates to some teachers in the state public schools recently sponsored on a training programme by the club.  Other members were also honoured with awards for their financial assistance to the club in carrying out some of its charity projects.

    The chairman of the Parents’ Forum, Prince Adebola Adeniji-Adele, promised to “work in concert with the authorities of the school to protect the facility and ensure proper utilisation of equipment towards promotion of skills and pupils’ development.”

  • Using ICT for national development

    SIR: Nigeria, like most developing nations, has come to recognize the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a catalyst for sustainable socio-economic development. This recognition is well captured in the National Development Plan – Nigeria’s Vision 20:2020: “The increasing globalization driven by ICT makes it imperative for Nigeria as an emerging market to irreversibly consider the application and promotion of ICT strategy to facilitate its rapid growth and development. This will involve the development of a vibrant ICT sector to drive and expand the national production frontiers in agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors. It would also require the application of the new knowledge to drive other soft sectors: governance, entertainments, public services, media sector, tourism, et cetera.”

    This is the way to go! However, Nigeria is not going to get the full potential benefit of ICT until we change our ways.

    Although there are mobile communication devices to suit every pocket nowadays, the tariffs being charged by the telecom operators are still on the high side. And what’s more, the poor quality of service remains a thorn in our flesh. They told us to talk the talk, and now we’re talking everywhere we go. But if we must talk and talk we should at least get value for our money. We are tired of carrying two or three mobile phones as if that’s the way to glow with pride.

    The National Identity Management Commission recently launched the long awaited National Identity (e-ID) Card scheme. We hope they get it right this time around.

    We are a people who hate change. Ironically, Nigerians actually like change to the extent that it suits their personal interests. They can’t wait to own the latest electronic gadgets but electronic voting can wait forever. On this side of the digital divide, whatever would help promote the transparency and efficiency of government institutions and processes hardly stands a chance.

    Conventional wisdom has it that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Therefore, there is need to align the public service with the private sector to allow for a smooth transition to a vibrant digital economy. As of today, most MDAs do not have working ICT structure. As one of its strategies for success, the ICT Ministry ought to push for the creation of ICT Department in every government parastatal. This would help provide an interface necessary for effective implementation of policies aimed at maximizing the levering potential of ICT for national development.

    Similarly, the dearth of IT experts in our public institutions doesn’t help matters. This has created a vacuum currently being filled by non-IT personnel, and exploited by private business partners alike, resulting in misplaced priorities, poor value-for-money solutions, and tasteless service delivery..

    Nigeria needs to leverage its investment in ICT to gain a significant competitive advantage in the rapidly changing global economy. As a way forward, government should provide security; expand national infrastructure such as power and broadband; encourage private sector investment in the ICT industry; deploy and ensure full utilization of ICT infrastructure on all fronts – Education, Health, Agriculture, Oil & Gas, et cetera.

    If we are serious about becoming one of the world’s leading economies in this age then we must realize that ICT is not a “nice to have” asset but a sine qua non for transforming Nigeria into a knowledge economy.

    • John Adebisi,

    Abuja

  • Rotary donates ICT centre to community school

    Rotary donates ICT centre to community school

    The Rotary Club of Omole Golden has donated a fully equipped Information Communication Technology (ICT) laboratory centre to Oke-Ira Senior Secondary School, Ogba, Lagos State.

    The project was commissioned by the Deputy Director of Basic Studies in the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr Abiodun Oni, who represented the Commissioner of Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye.

    Oni said:” I want to thank all members of this great club not only for the gesture but for being good partners in the development of education in Lagos State.I also want to urge the school management not to disallow students from making use of the facilities provided in the ICT centre, but instead ensure proper monitoring of how it would be put to use.”

    President of the club, Mr. Chris Alabi, explained that the club would sustain the facility for one year before handing it over to the state government.

    “We have spent part of our limited resources to set up this facility and we believe that it will be put to proper use in empowering students and even teachers with ICT skills. In addition, we will maintain the center for one year including the internet facility after which it would be handed over to the Lagos State Ministry of Education for its further sustenance.”

    Earlier, an induction exercise for new members of the club was performed by the The District Governor of Rotary District 9110, Dr. Dele Balogun, lauded members of the club for donating the ICT centre and urged new members of the club to imbibe the four-way test of Rotary Club in the development of the larger society.

    Certificates were later presented to some teachers in Lagos public schools who were recently sponsored to a training programme by the club while some members were also honoured with awards for their financial assistance to the club in carrying out some of its charity projects.

    The chairman of the Parents’ Forum, Prince Adebola Adeniji-Adele, promised “to work in concert with the authorities of the school to protect the facility and ensure proper utilization of equipment toward promotion of skills development of students.”

  • ICT, electricity are key to Nigeria development, says Indian envoy

    ICT, electricity are key to Nigeria development, says Indian envoy

    With an investment worth more than $19.5 billion, India still believes its coverage in business and investment in Nigeria is low and wants to do more. The Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr A.R. Ghanashyan, said there is need for investors to explore trade potential in areas such as Information Technology (IT), agriculture and healthcare.

    The envoy spoke at the maiden Diplomatic Dialogue Series (DDS) organised by the Nigerian Leadership Initiative (NLI), a non-profit organisation, to strengthen bilateral relations between Nigeria and investment community of its international partners. The event was held at Metropolitan Club in Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Given its vast arable land and population, Ghanashyan said Nigeria should be the hub for foreign direct investment, noting that there are opportunities in agriculture and ICT, which are not being harnessed.

    To set the pace for irreversible growth, he said there must be adequate electricity to power the engine of economy.

    He said: “To make Nigeria work, there has to be electricity. We have identified specific area of economy that India can partner with Nigeria to achieve faster growth, which include power sector, industry, education and, in specific term, IT. We have a standard from which we can borrow in terms of what we have achieved with ICT in India. There is need to also explore more opportunities in agricultural sector to make Nigeria the food basket of Africa.”

    While noting that Indians are the largest employers of labour after the Federal Government, the envoy said the presence of Indian companies in Nigeria before its independence demonstrated the importance the South Asian country attached to development of Nigeria.

    He added that his country would always be willing to improve on its investment in Nigeria without publicity about it. He urged the government to revolutionise IT and introduce it into the curriculum of the preparatory school, saying: “Nigeria can only use IT as a good element for its steady growth if government allows pupils in preparatory schools to be taken classes in IT, because the brain of children works optimally at that stage and those kids can grow up to use IT to solves different problems.”

    Ghanashyan said the country must embrace innovation, stressing that any nation that does not innovate would be redundant and become unproductive. “I believe there is so much intellectual wealth in Nigeria, which is not being harnessed,” he added.

    Taiwo Oyedele, Head of Tax and Corporate Advisory Services, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), said the growing GDP and population make Nigeria as lucrative market in Africa. He said area of economic partnership between India and Nigeria must be specifically based on IT, entertainment, healthcare and tourism.

    To increase the bilateral trade, Oyedele said both countries must identify areas of mutual interest and break the barrier of culture and language to achieve the growth.

    Chief Executive Officer of the NLI, Dr. Yinka Oyinlola, in his address, said the body floated DDS to create a platform where diplomacy would mean business and bilateral investment. He said the dialogue would be based on the objective to improve trade between Nigeria and other countries.

    Onyinlola said: “Our motivation for organizing this event is to ensure that we foster relationships not only with the countries of the North, but also with nations in Southern hemisphere. There are key sectors based on what each country thinks is of strategic and national interest to them.”

    Chairman of Nigeria-India Chamber of Commerce Dr. Umo Utsueli said Nigeria must explore investment opportunities in countries with similar growth potential, such as India and China, noting that the economies of the countries have potential to elevate Nigerian economy to 10 most fastest growing economies in the world.

    The event also featured interactive session between the envoy and business executives.

  • Customs makes N800b in eight months

    Customs makes N800b in eight months

    The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has generated over N800 billion, about 70 per cent of its N1.2 trillion target for the year, raising the chances of the retention of its Comptroller-General, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko.

    Sources told The Nation that Dikko and his men have surpassed the expectations of the Presidency and the Economic Management Team (EMT) in revenue generation.

    The Customs, it was learnt, has been upping the ante in revenue collection, contributing almost 25 per cent of the budget.

    According to a source, under Dikko, the Customs has contributed over N800 billion to the Federation Account as at the end of last month; and it is set to make an unprecedented contribution of over N1.3 trillion to the government’s coffer before the end of the year.

    The amount, it was learnt, represents about a quarter of the nation’s N4.964 trillion budget. The President is said to be happy that Customs has plugged revenue loop-holes at the seaports and borders.

    To enable the Customs excel Dikko is said to have opposed the payment of N40 billion yearly to the former service providers while his men had been trained to carry out their functions.

    He is said to have trained no fewer than 15,000 officers in the core areas of Customs responsibilities to facilitate trade at the ports and boost capacity building.

    Some officers, investigation revealed, were trained at home and others abroad to ease Customs clearing procedures and achieve ports efficiency.

    The affected officers, it was gathered, were trained in Customs operations, such as tariff classification, valuation, enforcement and e-Customs.

    “The truth is that the Dikko-led Customs Service has done so well in the area of revenue generation, anti-smuggling functions, trade facilitation, post audit functions, national and international collaboration, capacity building, training, ICT compliance and infrastructural development.

    “When he assumed office on August 17, 2009, it seemed  he took one hard look at the stagnating state of affairs of the Service and was convinced that what was needed is a pragmatic approach by insightful managers who would work with a motivated staff force to bring about the needed revenue to boost the economy.

    “It is generally believed in government circle that the condition of the Service before he came to office was not a salutary one. The service was like one of those government agencies that were in a dire need of reforms and, which had unfortunately, defied many past attempts to transform it into an organisation that would live up to the expectations of those in government and Nigerians,” the official said.

    The source said the Customs boss is yet to attain 35 years in service or clock 60 years, which is the mandatory retirement age.

    “The Economic Management Team is impressed with the revenue collected so far by some major commands of the Service as well as seizures recorded by its Federal Operations Units, the anti-smuggling arms of the service,” the source said.

  • NAMA urges Galaxy Backbone to ensure efficient telecoms service

    The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has urged the management of Galaxy Backbone Plc to ensure an efficient telecommunication service at the nation’s airports.

    Galaxy Backbone Plc is the Information Communications Technology (ICT) firm charged with providing effective telecommunications service at the nation’s airports.

    The call was made by the agency’s Managing Director, Mr Ibrahim Abdulsalam, when he led a delegation to the telecommunication’s headquarters.

    According to NAMA’s weekly update issued by the agency’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Supo Atobatele, in Abuja,  Mr  Abdulsalam urged Galaxy Blackbone to develop a strategic work plan to enable the firm provide  cutting edge services to  airports across the country.

    “Galaxy backbone is the sole provider of telecommunications services within the aviation environment. And its mission is to strengthen the existing business relationship between the two organisations, so there is need to  develop a strategic work plan for effective service delivery,’’ the statement said.

    Former Galaxy Backbone’s Managing Director, Mr Gerald Ilukwe, commended NAMA for ensuring the safety of the nation’s airspace.

    “This collaboration would further boost NAMA’s record of efficiency and excellence in service delivery in Nigeria,” Ilukwe had said.