The Nation Newspaper

Tag: sms

  • INEC to send SMS to owners of unclaimed PVCs

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is partnering the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) to send messages to owners of uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

    A National Commissioner of INEC, Mr. Soyebi Adedeji, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room Dialogue Session on Osun Election, said the measure became imperative to remind Nigerians of their civic duty, so as to ensure a successful electoral process.

    He said the number of uncollected PVCs with the commission was of great concern, adding that this number could determine who wins or loses elections.

    “The Continuous Voter Registration has ended and INEC has other things to concentrate on since election is a matter of a chain of events.

    “Before the end of the CVR, the commission as at last week had 10 million uncollected PVCs in its possession. Now with the end of the CRV, there are additional 14 million registrant cards to be processed within 165 days.

    “People need to come and collect their PVCs; it is not just about registering, collection is the most important thing. When people register, the collection is always less than 50 per cent.

    “We need to find a way to see what we can do about collection so we have decided to partner NCC to alert Nigerians on the status of their cards,” the commissioner said.

    He said 46 parties of the 91 registered had notified the commission about their primaries and when their activities would pick up.

    Adedeji urged civil society organisations (CSOs) to partner INEC to monitor the activities of parties, to ensure they played the game according to the rules.

    He said there was need for the parties to follow and respect their rules since they made it to ensure internal democracy and respect for their constitutions, stressing that it was the basis of democracy.

    The commissioner said the call for parties to respect the law they made in their parties was necessary in order to forestall legal cases after elections.

  • Maina ran bank account through sms, email, EFCC tells court

    Maina ran bank account through sms, email, EFCC tells court

    A Federal High Court in Abuja heard yesterday how huge sums belonging to pensioners were allegedly diverted by former Head of Service of the Federation (HOSF) Stephen Oronsaye and former Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed  Maina through phoney contracts.

    Maina the court was told ran a bank account using sms and sending electronic mails.

    An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rouqayya Ibrahim ,said pension funds were allegedly diverted by the duo through various companies.

    Rouqayya spoke yesterday while testifying as a prosecution witness in the trial of Oronsaye, the Managing Director of Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited, Osarenkhoe Afe and the company on a 24-count charge bordering on stealing and obtaining money by false pretence.

    They are alleged to have been involved in contract awards during Oronsaye’s tenure as HoSF.

    The prosecution alleged that the fraud, involving about N2 billion, was allegedly perpetrated using firms like Cluster Logistic Limited, Kongolo Dynamic Cleaning Limited, Drew Investment and Construction Company Limited, and Xangee Technologies Limited.

    Led in evidence by lead prosecution lawyer Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Rouqayya said in the course of investigation, the EFCC requested for payment mandate from the office of the Head of Service (HOS).

    She said: “We analysed the mandate, obtained necessary information like bank account numbers, and then requested for the account statements from the banks,” she said.

    She stated that the analysis revealed a company, Xangee Technologies Limited, which she noted, was already being tried before Justice Abubakar Talba of the High Court of thr Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Gudu, for alleged pension fraud.

    The witness said: “We discovered that the company received payment of more than N183 million for biometric enrolment, but there was no biometric contract executed by the company, instead the money was withdrawn cash, converted to US dollars and handed over to Abdulrasheed Maina, through his brother, Khalid Biu.”

    She added that three other companies – Mofshad Ventures, Mofshad Limited and Kombosko Nigeria Limited— received more than N400 million for non-existent contracts.

    The witness said: “We discovered that the three companies were associated with one Emmanuel Olanipekun, who is also currently standing trial, and one Chidi, also standing trial, and the monies were withdrawn in cash with part of it given to Mr. Oronsaye.”

    She said investigation of the pension account in Union Bank showed that there was a letter, instructing that the money be transferred to another pension account.

    “We saw another letter on it, on which there was a minute and instruction from Mr. Oronsaye, to transfer about N113 million to a Unity Bank account belonging to the State House, which we discovered he was the sole-signatory.

    “As at the time the transfer was made in 2010, Mr. Oronsaye had ceased to be the Principal Secretary in the State House and had become the Head of Service. We discovered that the monies were withdrawn through cheques, but all efforts to get the person to whom they were issued to, was unsuccessful, and Mr. Oronsaye could not explain the reason for the disbursement,” the witness said.

    She said: “There was also another account in the name of Abdulrasheed Maina, and his brother, Biu, an employee of the bank, who opened the accounts and was the account officer.”

    She added that  after Biu resigned from the bank, another employee, Toyin Meseke, took over as the account officer.

    The witness said: “We invited him for an interview and discovered that all the accounts were operated by Abdulrasheed Maina, even though his name, picture and signature were not anywhere in the opening account packages.”

    She said Maina operated the account mainly through text messages and emails, as “instructions regarding payment or withdrawal were sent to Meseke by text or email”.

    Rouqayya said forensic analysis of Meseke’s phone was carried out, which revealed how funds were fraudulently diverted from the account. She added: ”The account officer will, after receiving instruction from Maina, convert the money to US dollars and deliver same to him in Dubai.”

    According to her, Maina, a former Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, remained at large.  She said Maina never showed up in the course of investigations, and deserted his known residence.

    Earlier, Jacobs tendered three statements made to EFCC’s investigators by Oronsaye, during the course of investigations. The statements were identified by Ibrahim and admitted in evidence by the court when defence lawyers, Joe Agi (for Oronsaye) and Oluwole Aladedoye (for Afe and his company) failed to object.

    Justice Kolawole adjourned till December 5,  for continuation of the judicial trial.

     

  • Senate moves against telecoms over dropped calls

    Senate moves against telecoms over dropped calls

    Worried by the growing cases of mobile telephone dropped calls, the Senate has ordered investigation into causes of the problem, even as it chided the GSM service providers for inefficiency and poor service delivery.

    The Senate also warned the service providers against unsolicited calls and SMS that flood subscribers’ telephone lines on a daily basis, even as it kicked against illegal deductions of airtime for frivolous product subscriptions without the subscribers’ consent.

    At its plenary on Tuesday, the upper legislative chamber mandated its standing committees on Communications and Trade and Investment to investigate the matter.

    It also urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria, (SON) and other regulatory agencies to invoke the appropriate sanctions against the service providers.

    Urging the agencies to protect the millions of mobile telephone subscribers in the country, the Senate said the telecom firms must not be allowed flout extant agreements and regulations on consumer protection.

    The lawmakers further urged the relevant regulatory agencies to ensure refund to subscribers for disrupted calls and unsolicited airtime deductions.

    According to the senators, the regulatory agencies should exercise more control regarding the usage of data bundles to ensure regulatory and operational efficiency in service delivery.

    The resolutions were made following a motion sponsored by Senator Andy Uba (Anambra South).

    Presenting the motion, Uba protested the loss of billions of Naira by millions of Nigerian subscribers on a daily basis, as a result of what he described as unwholesome practices by the telecom firms.

    Uba said subscribers not only experience disturbing rate of dropped calls but also get incomprehensible speech and voice quality “that sounds like speaking from the bottom of a fish tank”.

    The lawmaker also expressed worry over congestion on the various networks leading to poor audio reception and poor delivery on the various data bundles.

    The Senate specifically fingered the major network providers like MTN, Airtel, Etisalat and Globacom for expanding their network coverage beyond what their existing infrastructure could conveniently accommodate.
     

  • ‘NCC has given subscribers power over unsolicited SMS’

    ‘NCC has given subscribers power over unsolicited SMS’

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has empowered subscribers to choose the text messages they receive from telcos through its directive on Do Not Disturb (DND) code.

    Its Deputy Director, Consumers Affair, Femi Atoyebi, who responded to customers’complaints at the 20th Consumer Town Hall Meeting organised by the regulator in Sangotedo, Ajah, Lagos at the weekend, said the meeting was to educate subscribers about their right and privileges.

    Atoyebi said the DND code is all about stopping unwanted text messages, saying consumers are at liberty to subscriber to service or products, adding that there is also the liberty to unsubscribe.

    He said:  “Now if you don’t want to be disturbed, you send STOP to 2442. But, we need to stress the fact that it is not all messages that are bad, some are quite educative, some give information about the weather, traffic, health, sport, among others. There is what we call full DND, that is don’t even bother me and there is partial DND that is on issue of education send message to me, but on music, I don’t want. That is why the option of 2442 has been provided and the particular message you don’t want will stop coming. So, if you ban all text messages from coming in, you will not know when the message that will be beneficial to you will come. But as I have said, consumers are at liberty to choose what they want.”

    Subscribers who spoke earlier accused the telcos of inundating them with unsolicited text messages. They also complained about drop calls, illegal airtime deductions, among others.

    An MTN subscriber, Ajayi  Omotayo, lamented that he got messages daily from his telco. He said: Every day, I get this message:  “MTN Gadget Care.’ I have called 180, they asked me to press some buttons, which I have done, but the message keeps coming. The sad thing is that they deduct my money. Please, tell them to remove it. I don’t want anything of such.”

    A Glo subscriber, who introduced himself as Andrew, lamented that he still gets messages he never wanted from his telco.

    Etisalat was not spared of criticisms either. Alhaji SikiruAlamu, who spoke in Yoruba, said: “The network has encouraged the menace. I used to get messages I don’t want, even very early in the morning. For example, a particular message with 361 as Code showing: Hello your VideoStore subscription has been renewed. Service costs N20/day. To download videos click http://videostore.ng. To unsubscribe, text STOP to 6363. I sent STOP several times, but the message kept coming. I don’t know what to do again.”

    A female Airtel customer, Joy lamented that she was always inundated with messages she never wanted.

    “Each time the message is sent, my credit is also deducted; they will say caller ring back tunes- N50 is removed my airtime. This is unjust because I never subscribed to any caller ring back tune.”

  • NCC moves against unsolicited SMS by telcos

    NCC moves against unsolicited SMS by telcos

    Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said it is taking steps to develop a regulation that will deal with unsolicited text messages and illegal data charges by telcos.

    Its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Dambatta,  spoke in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State during the 1st Ebonyi Youth Summit on refocusing talented youth for sustainable national development in training and capacity building through ICT revolution.

    “The commission is taking steps to develop a regulation that will deal with unsolicited text messages and illegal data charges,” he said.

    He said the regulator has been proactive and efficient in mediating between telcos and the service consumers.

    Represented at the training by a Director in the Commission, Austin Chucks Odoh,  Prof Dambatta urged  telecom service consumers to take advantage of the toll-free number provided by the commission to lodge their complaints.

  • Gift of Passion

    Gift of Passion

    It is indeed a time to show those you adore and cherish that you appreciate them with a gift or gifts. The starting point for many is the valentine’s card and there are a number of designer options available. So, you can give the romantic touch a personal flavour with the card of your choice. This will definitely be a romantic gift for him and it would be able to express your emotions on the card. You can also go a step further and have your creative ideas while decorating the card. Alternatively, you can send a creative SMS or email to tell your love story in style.

    To make this year’s celebration memorable, you need to give the one you adore a special gift. It must be something to impress your lover and something he or she would want to keep as a souvenir. The best to express your feelings can be seen in the quality gift that you are sending across. It is, therefore, important to keep one thing in your mind always: buy a quality product for your loved one. Don’t buy a cheap gift for the sake of saving money because this gift is very special.

    So, what can you really give? “The best gift that me fiance can give me is to travel out of the country or go to a resort for two or three days. Here, we would be away together and reignite the passion that we share together. This is a rare gift and you can be sure that you are the apple of his eyes. The other material gifts are good but none of them falls in the category of a memorable valentine for me,” says Stephanie Akanni.

    On her part, twenty-five-year-old Ibukun wants an engagement ring from her fiance. “We have been dating for about a year and half and I think that if he really loves me, then asking me to be his wife is a dream come true. However, I have placed order for two pair of shoes because he loves to wear great shoes. I am sure that he is going to like them when he sees them.”

    If you know what your partner likes or dislikes, then you don’t have to face any difficulty choosing the right gift. You can also give handmade gifts or you buy them from supermarkets or online shops, but the choice is all yours. Chocolate, flowers, perfumes, clothes, shoes, bags and other accessories can be a delight. However, it must be something your partner needs. It is better to give a gift that your love really needs.

    If your sweetheart has some definite hobby, then your problem is solved. You give priority to his or her hobby in the case of a valentine gift. If his hobby is playing the guitar, then you can give him a good piece of guitar. If you are dating someone who likes wristwatches, then you can go for a great design to show your affection. Or if it is someone who has a passion for mobile phones, then you can buy a trendy phone. In addition, you can also add one of the nicest pictures of you and your partner and frame it as a gift for him.

  • NCC pegs SMS at N4.00

    NCC pegs SMS at N4.00

    The Nigerian Communications Commission on Thursday fixed N4.00 for all domestic Off-Net Short Messaging Service with effect from February 5.

    The directive, which was signed by the Director, Legal and Regulatory Services of NCC, Ms. Josephine Amuwa, according to a statement issued by the commission’s Head of Media and Public Relations , Reuben Muoka, has been communicated to the operators since January 3 this year.

    But she maintained that NCC will not place a price cap on International SMS for now.

    The commission, she said, arrived at the new price cap after due considerations of the submissions made by the operators at various consultative meetings.

    Having evaluated and analyzed SMS traffic information provided by the operators, she said the commission noted that “There was a general recognition that the cost of SMS is too high, especially in view of the interconnection rate of N1.02 for SMS as determined by the commission in 2009.”

    While noting that the operators had proposed a price cap ranging between N5-10 per message for Off-Net SMS, she said the operators also urged NCC not to set a cap for international SMS due to the fact that Interconnect rates for International SMS are outside the commission’s control.

     

  • Businessman sues Airtel for N2b over Sms

    Airtel has been taken to court by an Ibadan-based businessman, Mr. Wole Abisoye, for non-delivery of short messages services (SMS).

    He is claiming N2 billion as damages for the non-delivery of the text messages as “a breach of the defendant’s obligation to him”.

    Abisoye is claiming that Airtel failed to deliver 17 short message services (sms) sent on its network since January 1, 2012.

    In an originating summon filed by his counsel, Luqman Laoye,  Abisoye said he sent New Year messages to 20 of his business associates and clients using his Airtel number but only three of the messages were delivered.

    He said Airtel deducted charges for the 20 messages whereas it failed to deliver all the messages.

    The businessman claimed that he lodged a complaint on the issue to the  company at one of the branches of Airtel in Ibadan which was not attended to.

    He said his  repeated complaints were equally not attended to at the Ibadan office of the telecommunication company.

    Abisoye said his complaints were lodged at Airtel office on Secretariat Road, Mokola, five days after he sent the messages in January, 2012.

    In the statement of claim, also signed by his lawyer, Laoye, the businessman claimed that the non-delivery of the messages has brought him to ridicule and loss of goodwill as his clients and associates ‘have refused to patronise him again, a situation that forced him to instruct his lawyer to sue the company.’

    “The claimant has suffered monumental embarrassment, ridicule, loss of goodwill, trust and confidence from his clients and business associates, who believe he was lying when he asserted that he sent New Year messages to them through the defendant’s network which have not been delivered till date.

    “The claimant had also lost many lucrative businesses from his clients and business associates, who have refused to patronize him again on the promise that, he, the claimant, is not worthy of transacting business with on account of his perceived deceit with respect to the non-delivery of the New Year text messages he (claimant) allegedly sent to his clients and business associates”, Laoye said.

  • Group begins SMS voting on candidates

    Gallop Polls Nigeria Limited yesterday began an empirical opinion poll to sample the popularity of the 12 governorship candidates participating in the October 20 election in Ondo State.

    The opinion poll is based on Short Messaging Service (SMS).

    Three most popular political parties in the state; the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), will be represented by Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), Chief Olusola Oke and Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
    The opinion poll allows registered voters to participate.

    Addressing reporters in Akure, the state capital, the Principal Consultant of Gallop Polls, Chief Anthony Chigbo, said the voting began yesterday and ends on Friday.
    He said the organiser would announce the result on September 28.

    Chigbo said the goal of the poll is to use eligible registered voters to generate data and develop the content that enables empirical prediction of voter leaning and behaviour on Election Day.

    He said voters on MTN network would be allowed to vote, adding that they would be charged N10 per SMS.

    The consultant explained that the organiser pitched its tent with MTN because it accounted for 60 per cent of registered phone users in the state.

    Chigbo said: “We have created different alphabetical codes for the four most popular parties in the state. The other eight parties will share one code. Anyone who wants to vote for ACN will text “ONDO AK” and send it to 31077; PDP, “ONDO OK” to 31077; CPC, “ONDO HE” to 31077; LP “ONDO OM” to 31077″ and others political parties “ONDO AA” to 31077.

    “Already the 12 political parties are aware of the event. Though the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not collaborating with us, but it is aware of the opinion poll.

    We did same thing in Edo State (during the July governorship election) and during the fuel subsidy crisis in January. All these were successful.

    “We are promising to be fear to all parties. There will not be multiple voting from a single person. Underage children will not be allowed to vote, because we have a data base that originated from Ondo State and which provided us with the total number of voters in the state and all registered MTN SIM cards.”