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NITRA Elects New EXCO, As NUJ Chairman Charges Them On Collaboration

Nigeria Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA) has elected new officials to man its affairs for the next three years in a landmark election conducted through electronic voting (e-Voting) on Thursday.

A cross session of members of the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), in a group photograph with top officials of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos Council let by the Chairman, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi after the inauguration of the new EXCO of NITRA.
The election, which was conducted at the newly commissioned Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) secretariat, was monitored by the Chairman, NUJ Lagos Council, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi, and the Executive Secretary, Mr. Tunde Olalere and other officers of the NUJ, Lagos Council.
The election also saw four of the six candidates go unopposed except for the positions of the Vice Chairman and Financial Secretary.
At the end of the elections, NITRA Chairman, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi (Communications Week) was returned unopposed. Also the General Secretary, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo (eBusiness Life Communication Limited) and Treasurer, Mrs. Chioma Ezike (FRCN) were returned unopposed, while a new entrant into the EXCO, Ugochi Emmanuel (Techlife Media & Communications) clinched the vacant position of Assistant Secretary/Welfare.
However, the Electoral Committee voided the position of the Vice Chairman due to the absence of the two contesting candidates. A re-run election will be held subsequently.
Speaking on the election process, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Mr. Romanus Imah, noted that the Committee decided on the use of e-Voting system because the Association should be at the forefront of promoting digital processes in Nigeria, also for the fact that it wants an all-inclusive election process.
According to the Chairman, although there were challenges in the process, the use of e-Voting system proved to be the best process in this era of digitization as it ensured that no member, present or absent, was disenfranchised during the election.
He thanked the Executive Committee and the entire membership of the Association for their cooperation through the period of the elections.
Also speaking, the newly elected Chairman of the Association, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi narrated the vision, aspirations and hopes of NITRA and challenged the entire membership to work with the EXCO to achieve the visions.
Mr. Onwuegbuchi noted that the task ahead is to build upon the achievements of the previous tenure.
While promising that all campaign promises by the new EXCO will be implemented, he called on members to come together to ensure that the Association takes its pride of place in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ecosystem.
While inaugurating and leading the New EXCO members through the oath of office, Chairman, NUJ Lagos Council, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi, spoke about the need for NITRA to collaborate with the parent body, the NUJ, to tap into the numerous benefits, which include trainings and representation.
He further encouraged the NITRA membership to be more active at the NUJ monthly Congress.
The chairman assured the Association of his administration’s backing.
NITRA was inaugurated in 2014 to engender faster industry growth through collaboration with industry stakeholders on different fronts in and outside the country. The Association was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2021.
In the past years, the Association has partnered with industry stakeholders to bring enlightenment and public awareness with its monthly Breakfast Meeting with CEOs and its Quarterly Forum that dwells on issues that are topical to the industry. The breakfast meeting with CEOs has hosted the likes of Mr. Austin Okere, Founder of CWG Plc and an Entrepreneur in Residence at Columbia Business School; Medallion CEO, Mr. Ike Nnamani; former Rack Center CEO, Mr. Tunde Coker and the General Manager of MainOne Data Center (MDXI), Mr. Gbenga Adegbiji, among others.
The new EXCO has a three-year tenure that ends in 2026 before a new election will be conducted.
News
TikTok Returns on Apple, Google US App Stores as Trump Delays Ban

TikTok returned to the U.S. app stores of Apple and Google on Thursday as President Donald Trump delayed a ban on the Chinese-owned social media app and assured the tech giants they would not be fined for distributing or maintaining it.
The popular short video app used by nearly half of all Americans went dark briefly last month, before a law took effect on January 19 that requires its Chinese owner ByteDance either to sell it on national security grounds or face a ban.
The following day, Trump signed an executive order seeking to delay the enforcement of the ban by 75 days, allowing TikTok to continue its operations in the U.S. temporarily.
Although TikTok resumed service after Trump’s assurances, Google and Apple kept the app removed from their U.S. app stores.
TikTok, the second-most downloaded app in the U.S. last year, said on Thursday that its latest app was now available for download.
The delay could have been because Google and Apple were awaiting assurances that they would not be prosecuted for hosting or distributing the app, according to analysts.
Trump’s directive said the companies, which run mobile application stores or digital marketplaces where users can browse, download and update apps, would not face penalties for keeping the TikTok app up and running.
TikTok had more than 52 million downloads in 2024, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
About 52% of its total downloads were from Apple App Store, while 48% were from Google Play in the U.S. last year, Sensor Tower said.
The law that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. assets or ultimately face a ban was signed by then President Joe Biden last April, triggered by national security concerns and fears that China could use the video-sharing app to spy on American users.
The U.S. has never banned a major social media platform and the law that passed last year gives the government sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps. Trump said on Thursday that his 75-day deadline on TikTok could be extended.
The turmoil at TikTok attracted several potential buyers, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, who have expressed interest in the fast-growing business that analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion.
Trump has said that he was in talks with multiple people over TikTok’s purchase and would likely have a decision on the app’s future in February.
News
FG Order MDAs to Close Commercial Banks’ Accounts, Enforce TSA Policy

Federal government has directed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) operating in states to close their accounts with commercial banks and fully comply with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.

Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, accountant-general of the Federation,
The directive was issued by Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, accountant-general of the Federation, during a working visit to the Federal Pay Office in Benin, Edo State.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Thursday by Bawa Mokwa, director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to the TSA policy, Madein warned that no MDA should operate accounts with commercial banks unless expressly approved by the President and officially communicated by her office.
The statement reads:
“While reiterating the Federal Government’s commitment to the Treasury Single Account policy, the Accountant-General of the Federation urged the Federal Pay Officers to monitor and ensure that Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in the States do not operate any account with the commercial banks or circumvent any provision of the TSA policy.”
She further stressed that any exceptions must follow strict guidelines, requiring presidential approval and formal communication from the Office of the Accountant-General.
Madein also tasked Federal Pay Officers (FPOs) with ensuring compliance, upholding transparency, and maintaining professionalism in their financial operations.
She warned against actions that could undermine the integrity of the Federal Treasury and emphasized the need for accurate financial record-keeping.
As part of ongoing reforms, she revealed that the Federal Government is constructing new Federal Pay Offices in some states to address infrastructure and operational challenges.
She assured that her office remains committed to the welfare of its personnel while enforcing compliance with financial regulations, including the Public Procurement Act and the Constitution.
Her visit to the Benin Federal Pay Office was part of a nationwide tour to assess the operations and challenges of Federal Pay Offices across the country.
News
NBRDA Investigates Biocatalysts for Bioethanol Production

National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) is investigating the development of biocatalysts from underutilised bioresources through its Young Researchers Forum (YRF) research group for bioethanol production.
Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, director general, NBRDA sated this in an interview conducted in Abuja on Wednesday
Biocatalysts, which can be either bacteria or enzymes, are biological entities that accelerate chemical reactions.
An alcohol-based fuel derived from renewable resources such as plants and algae is called bioethanol. It can be blended with petrol or used in place of it to cut down on petroleum use.
He asserted that bioethanol is crucial and that Nigeria has the means to fully investigate its possibilities, noting that the production of bioethanol will be helpful in setting up bioethanol plants.
“However, the catalyst for the fermentation of sugar to produce ethanol is what we are after, and we have it locally.
“When we isolate the biocatalyst, it is going to be useful in helping to establish a bioethanol factory, which will function very well due to our varying weather conditions,’’ he said.
Bioethanol has similar uses to fuels used to generate other classes of energy like heat, motor power, transportation, and electricity, the NBRDA chief added.
According to him, bioethanol is the most widely used biofuel in modern civilisation, and the process of turning biomass into bioethanol is receiving a lot of attention.
“Biological energies are renewable fuels with minimal pollution and play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas pollution, and one of them is bioethanol, which is obtained from fermentation operations.
“The world’s attention to the use of bioethanol as an energy source is focused on reducing the cost of production and increasing the efficiency of the ethanol industry.
“By consuming ethanol fuel instead of fossil fuels, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions known to be the cause of global warming will be somehow reduced,’’ Mustapha said.
According to the D-G, the creation of the Young Researchers Forum (YRF) demonstrates the agency’s efforts to support nation-building.
He added that young biotech innovators chosen from across the agency’s departments will use the conference as a training ground and launching pad.
The YRF, according to Mustapha, was a manifestation of his wish to establish an institutional framework for mentoring that would close generational divides.
He stated that one of the projects the YRF would concentrate on was the development of biocatalysts for the manufacture of bioethanol.
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