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Minister, Juwah, Others Endorse ICT Media Centenary Award
Dr. (Mrs) Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communications Technology and Dr. Eugene Juwah, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), have described the ICT Centenary Award as a positive development in recognition of individuals and corporate entities that toiled to create the values that are currently being globally celebrated as landmark achievements in the ICT ecosystem in Nigeria.
Other industry leaders that have openly embraced the event include the immediate past EVC of NCC and Chairman of OpenMedia, Dr Ernest Ndukwe, Mr. Peter Jack, director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and Barrister Chris ‘E. Onyemenam, director general, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). These industry leaders expressed their support for the programme when a delegation of the promoters of the event visited them at different times in Lagos and Abuja.
While receiving a delegation of the ICT Media Initiative, a coalition of all ICT media practitioners (print, online and broadcasting), in Nigeria, the Minister told the team comprising of Aaron Ukodie (Chairman), Ken Ugbechie (co-chairman), Remmy Nweke (Secretary), Segun Oruame, Bayero Agabi, Olubayo Abiodun and Mrs. Ufuoma ‘Daro that celebrating the achievements in the ICT sector and the individuals who have distinguished themselves is worth the drive and she promised to lend the support of her ministry to the successful hosting of the event.
Though the Minister emphasized that the ICT sector of the Nigeria economy was yet to attain its full potential and expressed the need for all stakeholders, both public and private sectors, to synergise in maximizing the opportunities that the nation can derive from the sector, she nonetheless approve of the need to give rewards to deserving players in the ecosystem. She particularly endorsed the plan by the Media Initiative to confer an award on President Goodluck Jonathan.
‘Considering what the president has achieved in the ICT sector, he deserves an award’, Johnson said.
While saying that so much has been achieved in the past decade worth celebrating, the Minister advised the organisers of the events to ensure a befitting ceremony worthy of emulation.
Mrs. Johnson also pledged the Ministry’s intervention in the area of capacity building for media practitioners, while acknowledging that the Ministry was also faced with the enormous challenges of skills gap which she hopes to address with numerous hands-on capacity building workshops from where some media practitioners could be embedded. According to her, the Ministry of Communications Technology is faced with budgetary constraints which will not make it affordable to organise dedicated workshops for media practitioners.
Speaking in similar fashion while welcoming the group to his office in Abuja, Dr. Juwah commended the ICT Media Initiative, a non-governmental organisation, for deeming it worthy to articulate the bold steps that the leadership of the NCC had taken in the last few years to sustain the growth pattern in the ICT sector of the economy.
While throwing the weight of the Commission behind the event, he urged the NGO to continue its positive advocacy campaign on the significant strides that have been achieved by all the players in the ICT sector.
Director-generals of both NITDA and NIMC also commended the ICT Media Initiatives for the bold move at rewarding individuals and institutions that have impacted on the ICT for development within the Nigerian space.
“Let me assure you that I am favourably disposed to your programme, and would like to see your conference succeed. It is a good idea to come up with a the non-governmental agency, as it will provide a platform for you to seek information, knowledge and a consensus.
“I spent 15 years in policy advocacy in this country when I was in the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, so I can see the role of a very good platform where ideas can be vitalised, more so when it is taken from the slogan of the NESG which says, ‘we came to serve’, Onyemenanm said.
“ We will explore how we can work with you to have a proper commitment and to develop the capacity building and actualise your aims”, Jack said.
Mr. Jack reeled out a number of institutional initiatives that are in the pipelines by the leadership of NITDA to further boost the on-going efforts to transform Nigeria to a digital society both in governmental inter-relationship and communal interactions. He too emphasised his commitment to avail media practitioners of both local and international support for capacity building that would positively impact the contribution of journalism to national development.
During the separate visits, Mr. Ukodie had informed his hosts that the one -day event which will hold in Abuja comprise of a Conference which shall take place in the day and an Award Ceremony, in the evening.
According to him, the main theme of the conference is: ICT in the Nigerian Centenary: Matching towards a Connected Nigeria.
“We have also slated other sub-themes for discussion. One of the sub-themes is: Broadband, for a connected Nigeria and prosperity. The conference is intended to sustain the current growth and momentum of discourses and actions that would culminate in the cost-effective deployment of broadband. This fittingly complements the efforts of the Federal Government as exemplified by the inauguration of the National Broadband Initiative,” he said.
He said that ICT Media Initiative is a synergy across three entrepreneurial media groups namely the ICT Publishers Alliance (ICTPA) – comprising leading ICT publications; Business and TechnologyNews Publishers Foundation (BTPF) – made up of business and technology publishers, editors and very senior news managers across Nigeria; and Nigeria ICT Broadcast Network (NIBN).
CommunicationsWeek Media Limited, a certified global ICT company with over two million online subscribers, is delighted and proud to announce Prof. Yakub Aliyu, as the keynote speaker at Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Distinguished Lecture series 2024.
Aliyu, will be speaking on the theme: Artificial Intelligence (AI): The Good, The Complex and The Anticipated”, this leans heavily on the fact that AI changing our lives– we just need to know where to look today.
This year’s rebranded Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Distinguished Lecture/Awards Series is slated for Saturday, May 25, 2024 at the Four Points by Sheraton, Lagos.
The event is the most prestigious annual event that brings together captains of industry in both technology and financial worlds.
According to Ken Nwogbo, CEO, Communication Week Media Ltd, organisers of the ABoICT Distinguished Lecture/Awards Series, “the choice of Prof. Yakub Aliyu is deliberate because of his exceptional career in Artificial Intelligence (AI)”.
He added that, AI is considered to have the potential to instigate a fourth industrial revolution,1 and is dramatically changing people’s patterns of interaction and economic activities.
“The traditional factors of production and physical capital and labour may no longer promote substantial economic growth. It is generally believed that AI will be one of the most important factors determining future economic growth,” he said.
A professor of microelectronics and a scholar-practitioner in artificial intelligence and deep machine learning for industrial applications and high-speed application processors. His research interests include Multimodal AI models for high-efficiency industrial robot applications and Human AI interactions.
He also has adjunct academic professorships at five African, USA, and UK universities. Holds a BS in Applied Physics Electronics from Karlsruhe and A Bello Universities in Germany and Nigeria, an MBA in International Business Management from the University of London, an MSEE (Master of Engineering, Electronics), and a Ph.D. in Electronics Engineering from the University of Wales.
Prof. Aliyu is the global quality director for Bourns Inc., Riverside, California, USA, an electronics system, and components manufacturer. I oversee quality functions in 21 factories worldwide.
He has also held quality and operational management leadership positions at National Semiconductors, Bell Labs-Lucent Technology, Texas Instrument, Global Foundries, and Roper Technologies USA.
Authored and coauthored over 30 Advanced Technology United States-issued patents in High-Speed Application Processors and Contributed to over 40 international impact Journals, chapters, and conferences; FASI, SMIEEE USA, MIEE UK, M. Inst pf Physics Chartered Phys and C Eng UK.
Past lecturers included Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, then executive vice chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); Engr. Yomi Bolarinwa, former Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC); Dr. Jean Luc Fort, CEO at OR System France and a specialist in Counterparty Risk; and Professor Chris Nwagboso, Chairman, Knowledge Factory International, United Kingdom.
Others are: Uche Orji, managing director/chief executive officer, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA); Biodu Omoniyi, Managing Director/CEO, VDT Communications; Ayotunde Coker, Managing Director, Rack Centre Limited; Peter Adedayo Arogundade, managing director and chief executive officer, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited; Dr. Adewale Obadare, chief visionary officer, Digital Encode and John Obaro, CEO and founder of Systemspecs; Prof. Isa Pantanmi, minister of Communications and Digital Economy; Dr. Seyi Akindeind, co-founder, Digital Encode; Dr Krishnan Ranganath, Regional Director, Africa Data Centres.
Legit.ng recently joined forces with the Shade of Life Foundation to become a voice of autism, and drive advocacy for improved media support during Autism Awareness Month.
Participants at the event
Conversations around media support exploration was led by Joseph Omotayo, head of Department for Human Interest Stories at Legit.ng, and Dr. Eziafakaku Nwokolo, founder and CEO of the Shade of Life Foundation,
This partnership is a response to the concerns raised by organizations like the Shade of Life Foundation about the level of support received from the media in discussing autism as a disability.
While other disabilities may receive attention, autism, with its critical developmental implications often lacks adequate representation in mainstream media.
Recognizing the importance of addressing these concerns, Legit.ng took proactive steps by integrating itself into the essence of autism awareness.
It facilitated a one-hour workshop with Dr. Nwokolo, the founder of the foundation, to deepen our understanding of autism, its various spectrums, and the language boundaries associated with it.
Other steps we took in advocating autism awareness in the media, can be seen in our attached press release.
Legit.ng believes that by amplifying the voices of autism and advocating for better media representation, we can contribute to creating a more inclusive and accepting society for all.
While 85 per cent of Nigeria is in darkness, Tanzania, an African country has shut down five hydroelectric stations in a bid to reduce excess electricity in the national grid.
Kassim Majaliwa, prime minister, Tanzania, has said the main plant, Mwalimu Nyerere Hydroelectric Station, alone generated enough electricity to power major cities, including Dar es Salaam, the country’s commercial hub.
It is the first time Tanzania, which suffers chronic power shortages, has closed hydroelectric stations due to excess production.
“We have turned off all these stations because the demand is low and the electricity production is too much, we have no allocation now,” an official from state-run power company, Tanesco, said.
The 2,115MW Julius Nyerere Hydropower Dam is said to be almost filled with water following heavy rains that started early this year.
Meanwhile, while the country has an installed capacity of 1,938MW and the grid installed capacity of 1,899MW, Nigeria which has an installed capacity of 13,000MW is struggling to electrify 85 per cent of its electricity consumers.
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