General News
Conducive Ecosystem can Create Local Apps HoneyPot -Bolade
Bolade Oyekanmi is the digital and content analyst, Samsung West Africa who believes Nigerian local (application) developers can perform better with the availability of friendly ecosystem.
He also talks about the initiative by Samsung Mobile in collaboration with Co-Creation Hub (CC-Hub) Nigeria tagged Idea Challenge- a platform to meet, brain-storm, share ideas and collaborate on ways to solve social problems via mobile apps.
He spoke to peter ugwu.
What Is Idea Challenge All About?
Idea Challenge is one of Samsung’s ‘Built for Africa’ Projects. It came about with our collaboration with CC-Hub Nigeria. What we are doing basically is to stimulate apps development ideas in the minds of young apps developers in the country.
The ideas Challenge is not limited to apps developers, rather it is open to all who use mobile phones.
We expected them to submit ideas, regarding things they have been experiencing on their mobile phones and solutions on features they expect to see when using these devices.
What Are The Expectations?
The ideas where not generated just this day.
The submissions were done between August and September. So it took sometimes for us to collate them, about 96 which we trimmed down to 37.
And out of that 37 there was an in-house voting and rating to ensure transparency, particularly in choosing the best.
We looked at each idea and ones already existing were dropped because everybody knew they are already there.
The focus was to generate new ideas.
For those accepted, we will have discussion with the initiators, to see how we can link them up with someone that develops applications.
Not only that, we will seat them together to determine which one of them will move to the next stage.
However, in the spirit of Samsung, we expect every one of them to see the light of the day.
What we have noticed generally is the fact that application development is wild and only the people that have the passion and the tenacity to continue working on those ideas that actually see it mature. And that is one of the reasons we staged the Idea Challenge.
A lot of people have ideas, but they don’t have the technical know-how to bring these applications into fruition. Is not just about having an idea, the major process is developing the idea or giving it blood to live.
I can have over 20 ideas in my head, but having a befitting system or environment to seat down and code these ideas is a major challenge.
That is where CC-Hub comes in. CC-Hub I can say has the technical support the initiators should have to develop their ideas. And we need more of them.
Can They Leverage On Your In-House Developers?
Samsung as a company does not have in-house developers.
It is through this kind of collaboration; people available there due to the conducive environment, the attention you need and other logistics they need to develop, so we collaborate with them (CC-Hub) on content development and ideas.
I believe that they are major players in the eco-system. That is why we said, ideas generated in the public, bring them to CC-Hub, we collate them, hibernate them to ensure the bits are put together to form a whole.
Is This Platform Different From Samsung Academy?
Definitely; Samsung Academy is more of an engineering based Institute where you will learn to deal with the device; repair the hardware, but this platform is basically on the developing the operating system, which is the software aspect.
So, here (CC-Hub) you don’t need to be a graduate, no screwdriver, saw or anything, all I need is to have my laptop and code my idea into any language I want to.
What Does The Future Hold For Apps Developers In Nigeria?
From what I have seen and this being the first there is hope for the industry. We will also continue to have series of idea challenge competitions.
What I have seen is that we have people who really think about solving social needs applications.
At this very competition, we saw developers channeling their minds on how to help people with health impairments-diabetes, confirmation of NAFDAC registration, identification of fake drugs.
We also saw application to empower citizens to communicate with their representatives; all those are social problems that we need to tackle.
Over time, people are really going think deep and come up with ideas on solving social problems.
This being the first, we didn’t expect something gigantic, rather a response that will suppose what we thought. At the end of the day we were able to receive 96 ideas.
Processes Of Short Listing And How do Winners Emerge?
Ok, September 14, 2012 was the last date for submission o f applications and we conducted an online voting or rating and some criteria were stated from the beginning of the competition, eight of them.
But the major instruction was that it must not be an idea already existing; reason being that we do not want to have copyright issues; it must solve a current social need not personal need; must be marketable in the sense that whoever has it on his phone can add something like advertisement; it must enrich the pocket of the originator; and it must be scalable.
For instance, if it works for Chat 222 or java you must be able to scale it to higher Samsung devices; viability in terms of satisfactions to be derived by the users. After the date there was a panel that sat to determine if the criteria set we met.
Some were rejected because our criteria are different from others. We are more concerned on how the application runs; what are the behind the scenes of the application.
We want something we are sure of the security, and delivering outputs according to expectations.
How Can You Rate The Apps In Terms Of International Standards?
Speaking on international standards, we work towards beating whatever standard being set by any company, however, there are basic things like when you are developing an Android App it must been able to run across all ranges of the operating system.
It must be able to work across all the screen size and resolutions.
They are the major considerations to make if you are developing applications in Nigeria.
What Challenges Are You Having In Organizing This Kind Of Competition?
Challenges in developing local applications, I would say they are challenges; rather they are more or less an encouragement for people to develop these applications.
People look at Nigerian applications as not meeting international standards.
But in recent months, I found out that you have to use one or two of those applications to show that we can make it. I recommend to a lot of application developers in Nigeria to go to Samsung App stores and try the Nigeria versions we have there.
They are amazing. I can’t name any of them to avoid being biased, the thing is get a Samsung Android Device, and get to Samsung Apps Store and see what Nigerians are actually doing.
I would always say it, I am proud to be a Nigerian.
Those applications developed here can compete internationally, only that we need the some of the developers to understand the mechanics and hard works they need to put into application development.
How Viable Are The Apps Submitted?
I have seen some applications that I would just tell the developer to revisit the work; I have equally seen some that are work.
And when they come out, those people will definitely sell.
I see the upcoming local developers becoming the giants in the industry.
Today we have an application that sells at $2 million because it runs on the mobile device. That is where developers are channeling their interests now.
They are trying to tell us the benefits of our mobile devices. And out of those benefit come different applications that run across different procedures.
In the next few years I look toward to see more applications done by Nigerians, because they are needed to solve our social needs. And they run on the right operating systems.
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) indicted the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and other ministries over administrative lapses that allowed the fictitious Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) to operate.
Musa Aliyu, chairman, ICPC, stated that NITDA, alongside the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Budget Office, and other bodies, failed to carry out adequate due diligence and standard operating procedures.
ICPC said however, clarified that the findings pointed to severe internal control weaknesses and administrative negligence rather than active official complicity by NITDA and the other affected agencies.
The briefing followed a 30-day investigation ordered by the president on July 7 into allegations surrounding the purported presidential council.
The commission also cleared the presidency and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) of any wrongdoing but blamed institutional lapses in several ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
Aliyu said investigators established that Adeniyi Adeyemi, the director-general, was never appointed by the federal government and that the PFIPC had no legal existence.
“As you may recall, on the 7th of July, Mr. President directed the ICPC to conduct an investigation into the fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and submit a report within 30 days,” he said.
“Today, exactly within the stipulated period, we have submitted an interim report based on our interactions with all stakeholders involved.”
According to Aliyu, Tinubu directed the commission to make its findings public in the interest of transparency and accountability.
He said the investigation found that Adeyemi’s purported appointment letter was forged.
“It has been established that Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was never appointed by the Federal Government or any authority whatsoever,” he said.
“The Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, which sometimes they called the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, was never established by any law, executive order or any valid instrument of government.
“The appointment letter presented by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was completely forged alongside similar documents used to perpetuate the illegal activities of the fake agency.”
Aliyu stated that a purported government gazette used to legitimise the organisation was also fabricated.
“If you recall, there was a gazette which he used to support the fake agency. That gazette is an illegal document that never passed through the processes prescribed by law,” he stated.
“Our investigation found that the office used by the fake agency was the office of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. The office was broken into and access was gained illegally. That was how he was able to operate from there.”
Aliyu also revealed that investigators uncovered two additional fictitious government agencies allegedly created by the suspect — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency/Public-Private Partnership (FIPA-PPP).
According to him, fake legislative instruments were used to create the agencies and open bank accounts.
Despite the elaborate scheme, the ICPC chairman said the investigation found no evidence that federal government funds were disbursed to the fake council.
“Our investigation found that no funds of the federal government were approved or disbursed to the fake PFIPC,” he said.
“We also discovered no weaknesses in the systems of the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria during our investigation. The fake appointment letter did not originate from the presidency.
“Our investigation found that some public officers failed to carry out due diligence and failed to comply with standard operating procedures in their ministries and departments. That gave him the opportunity to carry out these illegal acts.”
Nigeria tax system is build on taxing prosperity not poverty, according to Dr. Zacch Adedeji, executive chairman, Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
Dr. Zacch Adedeji, executive chairman, Nigeria Revenue Service
Adedeji, also dismissed the insinuation that the government’s tax reform is aimed at extracting money from Nigerians .
He said the essence of reform is creating an economic environment where individuals and businesses can prosper.
Dr. Adedeji made the clarifications on Sunday night while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he defended the administration’s tax reforms and addressed concerns over rising government revenue amid the economic hardship facing Nigerians.
According to him, the government’s objective is to tax the fruits of investment rather than the investment itself.
“For us at Nigeria Tax, we are not there to extract. Our focus is not revenue. I don’t want to tax poverty. I’m to tax the fruit, not the seed, and I’m to tax the return, not investment.”
Adedeji explained that the government would generate more revenue as businesses became more profitable, without necessarily increasing the tax burden on individuals and companies.
He said a company that made N100 in profit could generate N30 in tax revenue for the government, but if its profit increased to N200 or N300, government revenue would rise accordingly.
“So, if I want to make more, I must work for you to make more. And that is why it is in the best interest of us in Nigeria Revenue Service that businesses are doing well, individuals are doing well,” he said.
He said the approach was consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s economic agenda, which seeks to remove barriers to investment and create a more conducive environment for businesses to operate and expand.
Adedeji cited reforms in the electricity sector as part of the government’s efforts to stimulate economic activity.
He noted that the Electricity Act had devolved powers to state governments to generate, transmit and distribute electricity, arguing that improved power supply would boost production and productivity across the economy.
Prof Chidi Oguamanam, Nigerian scholar, has been invited to serve as a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO’s) World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology.
Prof Chidi Oguamanam,
The appointment, which covers four years from 2026 to 2029, recognises Oguamanam’s contributions to the ethics of science and technology and related disciplines.
The invitation was conveyed in a letter from UNESCO on Saturday, which described the commission as an independent advisory body and forum for reflection on major ethical challenges arising from advances in science and technology.
The letter stated, “Recognising your significant contributions to the ethics of science and technology and related disciplines, it is my honour to invite you to become a member of UNESCO’s World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology for a period of four years, from 2026 to 2029.”
Established in 1998, the commission brings together experts from different regions and disciplines to examine ethical issues associated with scientific and technological developments, climate change and the environment.
UNESCO said regional balance was important to the commission’s membership to promote multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary debate on emerging ethical challenges.
According to the organisation, the commission provides guidance and recommendations through its reports to UNESCO, its member states, the scientific community, policymakers, civil society and other stakeholders.
Its previous work has contributed to global normative instruments, including the Declaration of Ethical Principles in Relation to Climate Change adopted in 2017 and the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence adopted in 2021.
UNESCO noted that the commission had recently published reports examining the ethics of quantum computing and space exploration and utilisation.
The organisation said the commission would now focus on new areas identified for its future work programme, including emerging ethical challenges arising from scientific and technological developments.
In inviting Oguamanam to join the commission, UNESCO expressed confidence in his expertise and active contribution to the development of its forthcoming reports.
The organisation also said it expected members to contribute to “horizon scanning” of emerging ethical challenges and help identify issues that should be addressed in the commission’s next cycle.
Oguamanam’s appointment adds to Nigeria’s representation in international discussions on the ethical implications of science, technology and innovation.
He is expected to serve on the commission alongside experts from different regions and academic disciplines during the 2026–2029 term.
Fake Agency: ICPC Indicts NITDA, Others over Inadequate Due Diligence
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