General News
Prosellers Technology Can Check Kidnapping with Technology– Ologunleko
Adeniyi Ologunleko is the managing director of Prosellers, West Africa, frontline information and communications technology solutions provider.
He started his career as a sales representative in-charge of West African Market with Procter and Gamble, one of the leading consumer product companies.
He developed interest in ICT during his six years stay at MTN, from where he established Prosellers West Africa.
Ologunleko spoke to Chris Alu in Abuja on innovative solution provided by his company and other issues.
Technology Solution to Check Kidnapping
The Tramigo technology is a geographical position system (GPS) device and what it does is that, if you install it in a vehicle or any moving object, you can know the precise location of that object at any point in time.
The major advantage of Tramigo solution device is that it will return to you the exact location of the object or moving vehicle. What we did was to add a device into the technology that makes it useful in addressing the social menace in our society, and we discover that kidnapping and vehicle theft are some of the menaces. So now, with Tramigo, when installed in your vehicle, there is a button that is hidden in the vehicle which if you are driving and faces a threat of kidnapping or threat to your safety, you can quickly press the button and once you press the button, it is already connected to some of the security agencies, GSM system and your family members will get short message service alert system immediately.
Even up to ten people can get an SMS knowing your exact location at that moment. The message will indicate that you are having some challenges or attack. With distressed SMS alert, the security agencies can find ways of tracing down the kidnappers through the information received on their GSM phone, by so doing they can intercept the vehicle and they can trace the attackers and rescue you.
We also provide solar solutions and equipments. The solar technology we provide can provide back up power to devices, because power failure is one disadvantage that can frustrate business effort, so we adopt solar into our technology as back up for the devices to work very well.
Research and Development for Economic Advancement
Well Nigeria just like some other African countries have economic challenges such as poverty. This affects the ability of most citizens of countries in Africa to think which affects research; also the government finds it difficult to provide the kind of money needed for research and development. In most cases, it is thinking that leads to research or discoveries. In this regards, our academicians are still struggling to come out of the circle of poverty while we don’t even have scientists that can invent or embark on research. Government which is supposed to provide infrastructure to enable economic advancement and research is not living up to expectation. The environmental challenges makes R & D in Nigeria difficult, for instance, ICT parks and equipment, we don’t have them, so it is really difficult for such advancement to take place.
Other countries are investing money into research through synergy, so we can also form a synergy with some of these countries to move ahead, at this point Nigeria don’t need money in form of loans from World Bank, but we need partnership for technological development, through that our engineers, and scientists will be able to acquire the relevant knowledge for economic advancement. That is where we can talk of an enabling environment for a reliable partnership like what China is doing. China is a developing country like Nigeria. What China has done is that they know that they don’t have money for research and development, but they created an environment that is conducive for the people who have that technology, and knowledge to come and set up factories in other to translate that innovation to products, and in the process of doing that, their people will be employed and ideas will be shared, that is how China broke out from some of the factories to start their local products which we consume here in Nigeria and now they are far ahead of us.
Government Driving the Application ICT
Honestly, government cannot do so much in driving the application of ICT in our national lives, I think you have two components to it, you have the public sector component and the private sector components, and the public sector components, government has a key role to play. The private sector component, is already rising up to the challenge in that area, so it is the public sector that is remaining because the private sectors effort is the one creating awareness to people. For instance, your newspaper is one of the key newspapers that educate people mostly on ICT development weekly. So, government has not done that and also government has a major role to play even in the legislation for ICT development in the country, which will help the private sector to intensify their effort in bringing ICT into our daily life.
Supporting Prosellers Services
Our collaboration with Tramigo is basically from the point of view of technology partnership.
Tramigo has been able to invent a world class technology as a matter of fact; Tramigo is the only GPS tracking technology in the world. It is the world best selling in over 200 countries and market leaders in the world in the tracking device solutions. We collaborate with Tramigo, basically on the GPS area which is very important to our service provisioning, because of the technology. They have continued to improve on it to enable us provide the local landmark data service that works with the satellite in addressing social challenges. They help us to provide the geographical mapping code, the GPS satellite will translate.
More so, the device is a stand alone device and what I mean by a stand alone device is that it is a device that does not need internet connectivity, and does not require some of the complication associated that is down or up services. On its own, it is a world class innovation, however locally here in Nigeria what we do is to provide the geographical map in consonance with our streets, areas and major buildings in Nigeria, all to assist the device to work effectively, though it is difficult to describe all the major buildings in Nigeria but we have to do it to help the device work well. This is because once the device in your vehicle sends a signal to the satellite in orbit, and it replies the device a coordinate, that is the geographical area, the latitude and longitude. So, our job is to enable the device by providing software to enable the device to translate that coordinate into a physical area or place like Wuse, Garki or Herbert Macaulay street etc. We also provide the software back up for easy identification. This is done in a matter of few seconds for the device to locate your identification for follow up. Apart from that, we have experts and equipments/updates that constantly monitor and update the land mark data in Nigeria.
Future of Prosellers
In the next five years, we want to see Prosellers becoming a bigger company in the African continent in providing sales and marketing services to the tracking device, and that our partners, Tramigos are working round the clock to ensure that any new technology that is coming out of the laboratories will be transferred to Proseller immediately for sales. New innovation will be added to the tracking device in no distant time. So, we would like to stand as a bridge between innovation and market by giving satisfaction to people in the needed ICT areas.
High Cost of ICT Equipment
I think that prices of ICT equipment are coming down but nevertheless, I don’t think one can talk of high cost now as a major challenge because prices are coming down globally but in a relative way. However, cost poses a challenge because of the economic nature of our society today, and government is not making any efforts to provide infrastructure to lessen the burden of vendors of ICT device and system in the market.
Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged the Federal Government and the National Pension Commission (PenCom) to suspend the proposed increase in Nigeria’s mandatory pension contribution from 18 per cent to 21 per cent, warning that the policy would raise the cost of doing business, threaten jobs and undermine enterprise sustainability at a time of mounting economic pressures.
Dr. Chinyere Almona, director general of the LCCI, said while strengthening retirement security remains an important policy objective, increasing mandatory pension contributions by three percentage points would impose additional financial burdens on businesses already grappling with high borrowing costs, persistent inflation, foreign exchange volatility, rising energy prices and multiple taxes.
According to the chamber, the proposed increase comes at a period when many businesses, particularly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), are struggling to remain profitable amid Nigeria’s challenging operating environment.
The LCCI noted that Nigeria’s existing mandatory pension contribution rate of 18 per cent comprising 10 per cent by employers and 8 per cent by employees is already broadly aligned with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of 18.8 per cent.
It argued that raising the contribution to approximately 21 per cent would place Nigeria above several comparable economies, including the United Kingdom, where mandatory contributions stand at 8 per cent; the United States at 12.4 per cent; Kenya at 12 per cent, subject to earnings caps; and South Africa, where there is no equivalent mandatory private-sector pension contribution.
The chamber warned that implementing the proposed increase would significantly raise employment costs for employers, discourage new recruitment, constrain wage growth and place disproportionate pressure on MSMEs, which account for a substantial share of employment in Nigeria.
According to the LCCI, the higher payroll obligations could also reduce Nigeria’s competitiveness as an investment destination, encourage non-compliance with pension regulations and push more businesses into the informal sector.
“A stronger pension system cannot be built on weaker businesses,” the chamber stated, stressing that economic sustainability and business growth remain critical to expanding pension coverage over the long term.
The LCCI therefore called on the Federal Government to defer the proposal until a comprehensive Nigeria-specific actuarial and economic impact assessment is conducted to determine its implications for businesses, workers and the broader economy.
It also urged policymakers to engage in extensive consultations with organised private sector groups, labour unions and other key stakeholders before implementing any changes to the country’s pension contribution framework.
According to the chamber, the government’s immediate priority should be restoring business confidence, preserving existing jobs, encouraging investment and expanding the formal economy, which it described as the most sustainable pathway to improving retirement savings.
As an alternative to increasing contribution rates, the LCCI advised PenCom to focus on developing more innovative investment instruments capable of generating stronger returns on pension assets.
The chamber said improving investment performance would enhance contributors’ retirement savings without imposing additional financial obligations on employers and employees already facing difficult economic conditions.
Nigeria and the African Development Bank (AfDB), on Sunday, called for stronger African ownership of the continent’s vast mineral resources and advocated greater data sovereignty, regional collaboration and strategic financing to ensure Africa derives more economic value from its natural assets.
They spoke at the Ministerial Forum on Critical Minerals, Value Chain and Beneficiation: Pathways for African Transformation, organised by the African Development Bank in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Speaking at the forum, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, urged countries to embrace data sovereignty, regional collaboration and strategic financing to ensure mineral wealth translates into sustainable economic growth across Africa.
Alake urged ministers from Africa’s mineral-producing nations to pursue greater regional cooperation rather than isolated national strategies, arguing that coordinated action would enable the continent to derive greater value from its abundant mineral resources.
Alake said Africa must move beyond exporting raw minerals and adopt practical measures to secure full control of its natural assets through value addition and local processing.
He said: “While the mantra of value addition has ushered in an era of economic independence for mineral-producing nations, we need concrete actionable strategies to take charge and be in full control of our natural assets to ensure total economic freedom.”
The minister, who chairs the Africa Mineral Strategy Group (AMSG), said Nigeria had continued to champion a common continental agenda on mineral development through collaboration with more than 30 member countries focused on promoting value addition.
He also advocated greater African control over mineral resource data, describing the continent’s long-standing dependence on the Australia-based Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) reporting standard as outdated.
Alake added, “For the overall interest of the continent, and to efficiently and effectively safeguard its resources, Africa should take charge of the coding mechanisms utilised to assess its mineral assets.”
He urged African countries to adopt the Pan African Resource Reporting Code (PARC), developed by the Africa Minerals Development Centre (AMDC), saying the framework would promote transparency, consistency and ethical reporting while reflecting Africa’s unique geological and environmental realities.
Alake further proposed the establishment of a West African minerals processing hub and corridor stretching from Lagos to Dakar, modelled after the Lobito Corridor, to reduce infrastructure costs, encourage collaborative investment and enable participating countries to specialise in processing specific minerals.
According to him, the regional model would lower financial burdens on individual countries while promoting shared risks, increased trade and stronger value chains.
He also lamented the low level of intra-African trade, which he said stands at about 16 per cent, compared to roughly 60 per cent in Asia and 70 per cent in Europe.
In his remarks, AfDB President Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, described Africa’s mineral sector as a paradox, noting that despite the continent’s vast mineral endowment, it has yet to achieve corresponding gains in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or attract sufficient Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Tah said Africa must overcome the disconnect between its enormous natural wealth and its limited global economic influence by strengthening financing mechanisms and developing integrated mineral value chains.
The forum concluded with the adoption of the Abidjan Declaration, which commits African countries to coordinate policies on critical minerals, regional infrastructure development, value-chain expansion and capital mobilisation.
Under the declaration, the African Development Bank pledged to deploy its financing instruments, technical expertise and capital mobilisation capacity to support mineral-producing countries, reduce investment risks, finance strategic infrastructure and accelerate the development of competitive and sustainable mineral value chains.
A statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Lara Owoeye-Wise, said the declaration also urged African countries to strengthen national and regional capacities capable of attracting investment, financing viable projects and creating quality jobs through local value addition.
The forum brought together more than 20 ministers responsible for mining, energy, industry, natural resources and the green economy, alongside representatives of the African Development Bank, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the U.S. Export-Import Bank and mining companies from Germany, Canada and the United States.
Participants reaffirmed that stronger African cooperation, regional processing infrastructure, strategic financing and greater control over mineral resources remain essential to transforming the continent’s mineral wealth into broad-based and sustainable economic development.
Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, governor, Anambra State, has approved an indefinite ban on graduation ceremonies in kindergarten, primary and secondary schools across the state as part of efforts to reduce the financial burden on parents.
Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, governor, Anambra State,
The directive was confirmed by Dr. Law Mefor, commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, in a statement issued on Friday.
According to the commissioner, the government deemed it necessary to clarify the policy following public inquiries and concerns over the scope of the ban.
Mefor explained that the directive applies to all graduation-related ceremonies in both public and private schools across the state.
He said the ban covers events described as graduation, passing-out, crossover or any other ceremony organised to mark the completion of kindergarten, primary or secondary school levels.
The government said the decision was taken to discourage unnecessary financial obligations often imposed on parents through elaborate school celebrations.
The commissioner clarified that students completing Senior Secondary School (SS3) are exempt from the directive.
However, he stressed that graduation ceremonies for SS3 students are not compulsory and may only be held without imposing any financial burden on students or their parents.
According to him, schools choosing to organise such ceremonies must ensure that no levies, compulsory contributions or hidden charges are demanded from parents.
Mefor warned that the state government would not hesitate to sanction any school that violates the directive.
He said schools found organising prohibited graduation ceremonies or imposing illegal charges on parents risk severe penalties, including possible closure.
The commissioner urged school proprietors and administrators to comply fully with the directive in the interest of parents and the education sector.
The state government said the policy is part of broader efforts to make education more affordable and eliminate unnecessary expenses associated with school activities.
Many parents have previously complained about the increasing costs of graduation ceremonies, including compulsory levies for gowns, entertainment, souvenirs and other related expenses.
The government expressed optimism that the directive would ease the financial pressure on families while encouraging schools to focus more on academic excellence than ceremonial activities.
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