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Search results for: “Lagos State Government”

  • Tackling the Menace of ‘The Great Flood’

    The annual ritual flooding which every so often besieged and submerged communities, suburbs, towns and certain metropolises across several states and countrywide has degenerated from being a recurring decimal problem to a recurring death crisis.

    The Great Flood in Nigeria - Nytimes
    | ‘The Great Flood’ in Nigeria – Photo: Nytimes/Google

    The havoc wrecked by this year’s deadly flooding is overwhelmingly unprecedented. Indeed, it has earned for itself, a catastrophic history. This is The Great Flood of 2022.

    There are frightening grapevine hypotheses, suggesting that the devastating scale of this year’s (2022) flood condition in relation to 2012 would possibly imply a repeat, once every decade.  

    Evidence and attendant economic and ecological effects of the excruciating agonies suffered by flood victims abound nationwide.

    https://techeconomy.ng/2022/10/identitypass-pledges-n4m-for-flood-victims-relief-fund/

    From Adamawa, where the torrential rains in conjunction with the surging confluence of Rivers Benue and Gongola in Numan, submerged approximately 89,000 hectares of farmlands, beside residential locations, government structures, workplaces, markets, worship centres and the loss of human lives, to Benue, where flash flood conspired with the River Benue natural flow channels, as though with the speed of an avalanche flooded the state and sacking over 120 communities not to mention the extensive destruction of lives and properties, down to Anambra, where flood combining with heavy downpour fuelled the rise of river levels with grave consequences on rivers populations, floodplains and other assets around water-bodies, submerging farmlands, sweeping hundreds of thousands of crops away, houses, health facilities, police station and other critical amenities of the state and the unquantifiable losses of both aquatic and human lives (there was a report of boat mishap whose news threw the entire nation in mourning) to far flung Taraba, Nasarawa, Kogi, Cross River, Rivers, Edo, Delta, Lagos, Bayelsa and environs where the flood crises left behind tales and trails of terrors of death and other unspeakable consequences.

    https://techeconomy.ng/2022/07/flood-control-lagos-ppp-office-warns-residents-on-clogging-of-drains/

    Elsewhere, there are reports of how the ravaging flood had overrun and split major accessed roads and highways, obstructing vehicular and commercial movements as route channels became practically impassable, with heavy industrial installations damaged, leading to the temporal closure of NLNG and other relevant downstream operations.

    Reports from certain quarters revealed the threat of an epidemic. For instance, the UN has reported the possible outbreak of cholera in northeast Nigeria associated with the widespread contamination of water sources, as a result of the spread of sewage, refuse and industrial effluents.  

    Apparently, flooding remains the most common, natural disaster in Nigeria. Flooding as a national problem is largely leadership-inflicted, with adverse unquantifiable economic and emotional effects on the masses.

    For instance, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) typically releases an annual Flood Outcome (AFO) that shows flood-prone zones and peak flood seasons, nationwide.

    Such a report no doubt is to enhance preparation for flood mitigation and management in states, particularly at risk of flooding. However, state authorities are either accused of not being proactive enough or ignoring the seasonal prediction and early warning altogether. In effect, most state authorities still grapple with the problem of enforcing compliance with the NIHSA guidelines.

    I was literally a prophet when I predicted that the deep open drainage system constructed at Ugbowo axis of the Benin-Lagos road, during President Goodluck’s administration would not only be a death trap for vehicular and human activities but also be filled with garbage and sand in a couple of months. It happened.

    But this is the usual situation nationwide. But why would governments of the day who claim to be people-centred leave existing drainage systems in such a deplorable condition even with the red flags of impending flood danger from NIHSA?

    The truth is, with the right priorities, governments have the resources to clear up waterways leading to local canals, clean up and make deeper existing drainage systems to become more efficient.

    Also, natural flow channels leading to the major sea should be dredged periodically. To support these natural links, well-designed artificial channels should be constructed in line with the local topography connecting to the seas.

    State governments, particularly those situated in the Niger River Delta namely, Edo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Rivers and Taraba should curb unbridled deforestation of their rainforest and wildlife resources, as these are natural water-absorbing capacities and large extent sources of flood mitigation.

    In September 2022 the Cameroonian authorities opened overflow spillways at Lagdo Dam to ease the pressure on the dam from the rising reservoir (UN’s International Organization for Migration [IOM]).

    The Great Flood came with devastating effects
    Image: Google

    This particular release of excess water from the Lagdo dam in Northern Cameroon province coincided with the start of the flash flood ravaging many states in Nigeria.

    History has it that the Lagdo Dam was completed in 1982 by the Cameroonian government but its failure to contain and check excess water which flooded Nigeria’s towns and villages in the same period led to the feasibility study to build the Dasin Hausa dam in Adamawa which was meant to be 2 ½ times the size of Lagdo Dam.

    It was meant to serve as a shock absorber for the sudden release of excess water from the Lagdo dam, generate some 300 Megawatts of electricity, and provide irrigation for over 150,000 hectares of land around surrounding states.

     Sadly, the project was abandoned halfway. Hence, the menace of flooding has remained part of the conventional lifestyle states around the River Benue axis.

    Amazingly, the Ministry of Water Resources claimed to have built nine new dams in different parts of the country between 2016 and 2020. Additional 11 dams are expected to be completed before 2023. With this year’s flood, the impacts of the so-called 9 completed dam projects are insignificant.

    What then is the issue with the Dasin Hausa Dam which has been abandoned for about four decades and experts believed is the main cause of incessant flooding in many states in Nigeria?

    As always, politicians would rather complete cosmetic projects that assure them of quick personal monetary returns at the expense of the overall societal interest (welfare). This is unpatriotic.

    The Great Flood
    | The Great Flood came with devastating effects

    Sadly, as is the tradition, government ministries and agencies along with their political appointees and officials are already having a field day in the following areas:

    • displaying disturbing statistical data of flood victims
    • the blame game
    • the reactive measure syndrome. For instance, the federal government has churned out certain frightening statistics characterizing the hellish condition suffered by flood victims: 82,053 houses decimated, over 600 people killed, over 1.4 million displaced and a total of 332,327 hectares of land submerged, just to mention a few.

    On the blame game front, Umaru Farouq said several warnings were issued to state governments but they failed to advance necessary measures to prevent the depth of the devastation.

    Meanwhile, state governments have lamented the lack of infrastructure and insufficient resources in mitigating the possible impact of flooding.

    While the Buhari administration adopted its typical reactive measure by dispatching officials to open bilateral talks with the Cameroonian authorities, the Minister of water resources has come out to say that only one per cent of flood crises in Nigeria can be attributed to the Lagdo dam in Cameroon.

    Moreover, the Minister dismissed the historical claim that the Nigerian government was supposed to build a Dasin Hausa dam. 

    From commonsensical empirical observation, there is abundant proof that the harmful effect of flooding is more on poor communities than on towns and cities. In an era of uncontrollable floods, economic security and societal prosperity are threatened as an unquantifiable proportion of private and public assets alongside agricultural produce are decimated.

    Thus, the societal cost of flooding is usually difficult to quantify economically.

    By my self-induced rule of thumb, the estimated economic cost of this year’s flooding incurred by Nigerians runs into tens of trillions of naira. 

    However, there are economic implications governmental authorities should manage with caution.

    • The flood in Bayelsa state has made the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) Company declare a Force Majeure. The economic implication is that there will be a temporal hike in the price of Gas in Bayelsa state with likely spillover effect on neighbouring states like Rivers and Delta.
    • The much destruction of farm crops and submergence of farmlands would cause food insecurity leading to food inflation in the coming months. To guard against this impending food inflation, there should be a temporal opening of the border for the influx of agricultural items up to the first quarter of 2023.
    • No matter what it cost the economy to complete the Dasin Hausa Dam should be done to avert another unquantifiable economic loss.

    This time a stitch in time will surely save nine. 

    Dr Harrison EROMOSELE, Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State

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  • Making the Circular Economy Work for 210 Million Nigerians

    Nigeria has a huge population. Current estimates put it in the region of 210 million. This is a huge number. There is no prize for guessing that this number of people will produce humongous amounts of waste.

    The challenge is how prepared are the managers of the economy to deal with the sheer volume of waste generated and ensure effective disposal.  

    Now, if you have ever wondered why drains are always blocked, dumpsites are created indiscriminately and pollution is the order of the day in many cities across the country, wonder no more. The answer is simply – People. People. People.

    This is the heart of the problem – a large number of people generating large volumes of waste without a discernable plan for proper disposal. 

    One thing is clear, Nigeria lacks a proper waste management system. Experts argue that the real problem is a large amount of ‘single-use’ items and products which effectively creates a linear economic model. 

    The linear economic model involves “take, make, use and dispose of”. Under this model items once used need to be disposed of and they subsequently end up in landfills and waste sites. Fun fact, the largest open waste site in Africa is situated in Nigeria, in Olusosun, Ojota, Lagos State.  

    And with the population expected to hit 400 million by 2050, according to the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, the quantity of waste generated annually is projected to continue to increase substantially. 

    Translation: unless we have a system in place, it is only going to get worse. 

    Describing the Nigerian economy as linear means that when raw materials are used to make products, once the item is used, it automatically becomes a waste product and is quickly thrown away.

    The linear model is defined as the traditional model where raw materials are collected and transformed into products that consumers use and discard as waste, with no concern for their ecological footprint and consequences.

    Of course, the indiscriminate dumping and burning of waste harm the environment. It pollutes the environment, degrades the quality of air, water and soil and contributes to climate change challenges. It equally affects the health of people, impacting productivity and economic development. 

    In seeking to effectively control the waste management problem, adopting global best practices in this space makes sense.

    The current trend is shifting from mere waste management to wealth creation, economic development and an improved environment. This is the emergence of the circular economy. 

    First off, the circular economy grew out of the urgent desire to curtail waste and drive the reuse of materials and waste to create economic value.

    A practical instance is where waste paper is used to make new paper and discarded plastic containers are used to make new plastic materials and other useful items for construction. The potential here is humongous. It guarantees that there will be enough raw materials in the immediate future to continue to produce these items. This is precisely what the circular economy is all about.

    Under the circular economy, production has as little impact as possible on the environment by leaving less of a footprint. To make it sustainable, it must follow these three principles: reduce, reuse and recycle. The principles are three approaches – reduce (minimize the quantity of resource use); reuse (optimized resource use) and recycle (turnaround and put the resource to use again).

    There are several ways to achieve this. Experts insist that with this system, value is created by focusing on value preservation.

    The circular economy can almost be viewed as the opposite of a linear economy. It focuses on optimizing the use of a product or service, a concept that is relevant to economic sustainability.

    The circular economic model can help promote and achieve environmental awareness, reduce the indiscriminate dumping of refuse and create wealth-making opportunities for the citizens. 

    The circular economic model benefits the citizens, the economy and the environment. It ensures that there are enough raw materials, promotes production efficiency and stimulates economic growth. 

    The real issue is how to ensure that the circular economy works for Nigeria’s 210 million people. When we consider the principles on which it is based – the circular economy can present innovative ways to recycle products and materials for the future. This can help to conserve the environment, combat climate change and generate endless job opportunities. Perhaps the biggest advantage the circular economy offers is the waste-to-wealth path for sustainable economic growth. 

    While the private sector organizations are already building massive in this direction, the government can help through the implementation of appropriate policies to fast-track the emergence of the circular economy across the country. 

    Studies indicate that single-use plastic waste makes up a huge portion of waste generated in an economy. So, policies that ban or restrict the importation, production and use of single-use and all variants of non-recyclable plastics will help precipitate the circular economy. 

    Eliminating single-use plastic waste from the environment will no doubt curb the clogging of public drains, curtail incidents of flooding and limit harm to the environment. 

    The government equally needs to collaborate more with the private sector to drive the circular economy agenda in much the same way it is pursuing and driving the digital economy agenda. The Minister of Environment can take a cue from Prof Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy. 

    In addition, portions of the ecological fund can be channelled into grants and rewards for firms that actively promote the circular economy through their business practices with widespread impact. 

    The introduction and enforcement of extended producer responsibility (EPR) can be another option to reduce waste, especially plastic waste. Consider container take-back programs, an example of EPR that has been effective in many places.

    Under this initiative, consumers will pay a small deposit when products are sold (usually beverages), which is refunded when the packaging waste is returned to the retailer. Naturally, the containers go back to the manufacturer for recycling and reuse. 

    There is no reason why a state like Lagos cannot adopt this strategy to reduce the volume of plastic waste in the streets and public drains. 

    For a country that urgently needs to diversify its economy, the circular economic model provides tremendous value and opportunities for Nigeria.

    When a country demonstrates a commitment to the circular economy, the rats don’t need to eat the poisoned holy communion to gain attention. International and multi-lateral agencies will be eager to provide grants to help drive inclusive circular economy projects.  

    For 210 million people to participate actively in the circular economy, the government must urgently step up and step in with relevant policies, collaborate with the private sector and engage the citizens. This is the way to go!

    Elvis Eromosele, a Corporate Communication professional and public affairs analyst lives in Lagos.

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  • Again, Emirates suspends Nigerian flights Over Trapped Funds

    For the second time since September, Dubai’s Emirates has canceled flights to Nigeria, claiming an inability to withdraw money from the country, the airline announced on Thursday.

    Due to severe dollar shortages, many Nigerians and businesses are forced to buy foreign currency on the black market, where the value of the naira has been steadily declining.

    A representative for Emirates said the airline had participated in multiple discussions with the Nigerian government and offered solutions to unblock payments that had been stopped in the past.

    “Without the timely repatriation of the funds and a mechanism in place to ensure that future repatriation of Emirates’ funds does not accumulate in any way, the backlog will continue to grow, and we simply cannot meet our operational costs nor maintain the commercial viability of our operations in Nigeria,” an Emirates spokesperson said in a statement.

    The issue of ticket funds being stuck in Nigeria has been plaguing international carriers for several months now. Emirates had suspended flights in August but reinstated them in September after the Nigerian government agreed to release some funds.  

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  • Troop Pharma Celebrates 25th Anniversary; Conducts Free Eye Screening for Members of Host Community

    Troop Pharmaceutical, a leading healthcare provider, has recently celebrate its 25th anniversary. Troop is notable for efficient and effective community pharmacy practice.

    The event, with the theme ”Pharmacy Role for Healthier You” also featured free eye screening for residents of Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, particularly those living within Dr Faseun Street, off Century Hotel B/stop.

    The ceremony according to Pharmanewsonline, also attracted prominent community pharmacists and personalities including Professor Simon Emeje, chairman, Troop Pharmaceuticals Ltd; Pharm. (Mrs) Folasade Lawal, CEO, Victory Drugs and chairperson of the occasion; Engr Olajide Oludare, Father of the day; Pharm. Anderline Dukor, CEO Mecure Industries Ltd; Pharm. Omojo Emeje, director, Troop Pharmaceuticals Ltd; Pharm. Kayode Olayiwola, COO Troop Pharmaceuticals and Pharm. (Mrs) Chizomam Ann Emeje, managing director, Troop Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

    In her keynote address, Pharm. Dukor sensitized the audience on the role of pharmacies in enhancing healthier lives for people.

    She emphasized that not all places that drugs are sold should be regarded as pharmacies.

    She said: “If a pharmacist administers a medication to a patient and the patient later complains, and the same complaint is made by patients elsewhere regarding the medication, we will immediately launch an investigation to determine the error in the medicines. Therefore, everything that occurs in the pharmacy is genuinely done for patients’ protection”.

    Troop Pharma 25th anniversary
    Members of staff of Troop Pharma

    Dukor highlighted the major roles of pharmacists in caring for the health of the community to include to prepare, obtain, store, secure, distribute, administer, dispense and dispose of medical products.

    According to her, effective management of drug therapy is another important responsibility of pharmacists. “It’s not enough to just hand out medications anymore. The modern pharmacist will now explain to you why you are using your medications, why you must take them, how long you must take them, and if you experience any side effects that are different from what you experienced before, what to do.

    “The pharmacist is there to make sure you’re getting the true benefit of your medication by maintaining and improving professional performance.

    “They also contribute to improve effectiveness of the healthcare system. This means if you have an headache, you’re not just given paracetamol, the pharmacist goes all out letting you know what you need to do so that you don’t encounter such headache again.”

    She lauded Troop Pharmaceuticals for operating as a community pharmacy that actively counsels patients on drug therapy, trains staff, provides health information and education, and even serves as a consultant for minor illnesses.

    “The foundation of the healthcare system is pharmacy. When you think about the role of pharmacy for a healthier you, remember that pharmacists don’t necessarily give you life, but they do give life to the medicines that you and I need to maintain our lives, health and general well-being,” she asserted .

    Narrating the success story of Troop Pharmaceuticals, Pharm. (Mrs) Emeje told guests at the occasion how the organisations started 25 years ago, with barrage of challenges but her passion for the profession not the desire to make profit, sustained the company till today.

    An elated Emeje, who used the medium to encourage younger persons considering a career in Pharmacy to go ahead with their ambitions, said despite several obstacles encountered over the years such as unfriendly government policies and financial constraints, they now have over four products to their name.

    “I care more about people’s lives and not just about the money. I was just considering what may help me feel more connected to patients while also using my entrepreneurial skills. I can stand all day long attending to patients and I don’t get fatigued, because of my love for humanity. I am content whenever a client enters and leaves satisfied”, she stated.

    Also speaking, Pharm. Emeje said, passion to serve, touch lives and interest in healthcare are what informed her decision to start Troop Pharmacy.

    “Even though there were times when I wanted to give up, I’m grateful to God for my loving spouse and for the friends and colleagues who watched out for me and kept me from giving in to the pressure I was under at the time,” she said.

    Troop Pharma 25th anniversary
    The Chairman of Troop Pharma, the director and some old staff

    Speaking on how Troop Pharmacy has addressed the menace of drug abuse in the community where it is located, she said, “I put my profession first before anything else by counselling clients when they want to buy drugs they don’t need. I also educate them because some people abuse drugs not because they want to, but because they don’t have the right information.

    The highpoint of the event was the presentation of awards in different categories to distinguished staff, old staff and personalities who have stood out in the service of humanity and relationships with Troop Pharmaceuticals Ltd. This includes Barr Chikaodili Ugochukwu, CEO of Flora’s Trust Center for Children with Cerabral Palsy and other Disabilities, Mr Ikechukwu Unamba (MLS) for sacrificial services in health hazard environment, to mention but a few.

    Earlier in his welcome address, Pharm. Olayiwola, appreciated all the guests for their show of love, noting the place of diligence and determination in any endeavour in life. He urged the audience to always preserve in whatever they are doing in order to achieve great success in life.

    Credit: Pharmanewsonline

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  • Expert Calls For More Investments in Technology

    A technology enthusiast, Roseline Ilori (Mrs), has reiterated the need for government at all levels as well as stakeholders in investing massively in technology; not just software development, but in robotics, artificial intelligence, bio-medicine, voice biometrics and a host of other technology spectra.

    Roseline Ilori, the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bridge57 Solutions Limited, made the call in a statement in Lagos.

    According to her, such investments in technology will shore up manufacturing competitiveness via authentication and traceability of goods and services, improve physical security and cyber security, among others.

    https://techeconomy.ng/2020/05/digital-economy-why-nigeria-must-pursue-more-investments-in-technology/

    Ilori said that government needs to be more proactive in making the Nigerian technology environment more friendly, seeing that the growth and young people’s interest in technology were massive.

    She noted that Nigerian technology experts were the most sought-after in developed economies as the relocation syndrome had taken up to half of the technology brains the country possessed.

    “The fact is that the environment we are in is not conducive enough for technology to thrive, so the government has to do more in that regard to bring out more technology to the fore.

    “The ‘Japa Syndrome’ has been a major challenge affecting our human capital potential, hence, the need to grow more of these professionals internally so that when some leave, many more would be around to keep the country going.

    According to the Bridge57 boss, Nigeria still lags behind earnestly in terms of innovation as she submitted that, unlike the notion many are having, technology is quite different from innovation.

    She noted; “In terms of innovation, we are still very far in Nigeria. For instance, while I had the opportunity to go through some training on innovation in some international organizations, I realized that many people talk about innovation but very few people do innovation as a lot of people don’t really understand what innovation means. 

    “For technology, yes we are doing well, but for innovation as a practice itself, we still lag behind. Innovation is not just about technology, it is deeper than that. Innovation can be applied to processes, products, marketing and to different areas of business models. But technology can use innovation, when people often mention innovation, people assume that it is technology, but they are two different things. They both need each other in a way to flourish.”

    However, the technology expert also advised government to remodel the Nigerian educational curriculum across levels to accommodate the practical aspects of technology to engender early exposure to the nitty-gritty of technology and innovation.

    she said that the need to expose, encourage and sensitise the Nigerian child through the educational system from a tender age, was due to the massive economic potential of technology and its ability to solve almost every problem across sectors.

    “Technology as of today is beyond computers and smartphones as it encompasses a whole lot which if youths are properly exposed to practice can yield massive economic potential and gains for the country.

    “We must, therefore, rework the curriculum to accommodate technology, innovation and robotics beyond the surface use of computers.

    “In our universities, a lot is going on technologically that the government can take advantage of, but they must first invest enormous resources right from the universities to open the minds of students to the practical aspects of technology.

    “More practical approach that is relatable to real life more than the abstract classes the Nigerian child is used to is what is needed to open up their minds to the endless possibilities of technology,” she said.

    Ilori said that government funding upon disbursement must be put to good use to secure the future of technology and educate more persons that were willing to use their intelligence for the development of the nation.

    She charged young girls with interest in the technology industry, perceived to be a male dominant industry, to take the bulls by the horn, even if they might be few in number and assert their competencies and capabilities.

    “Funding is key and the cash flow is the blood of any business and this is necessary to build start-ups that are innovation-driven.

    Speaking on Bridge57 Solutions, where she had implemented diverse business initiatives and products for several organizations, NGOs, and government parastatals using strategic foresight, drive and determination, Ilori said the organisation was established with the aim of organising workshops, using innovative practices, methodology and tools to improve the Nigerian technology environment.

    “I have been in the technology space for 18 years now in Nigeria and several other countries in Africa where we have deployed a lot of solutions in the past. I decided to start Bridge57 Solutions because I saw that there are more problems to be solved in Nigeria and in Africa at large. Our problems are in abundance if I can put it that way. But where there are problems, there are opportunities as well. So I was looking for the opportunity to solve more problems on a more largest scale. That was one of the things that prompted me. I see there are lots of opportunities that would enable more entrepreneurs to be born.  

    “At Bridge57, there are two pillars; innovation and technology and in between them is digital transformation. Those are the two pillars our business is being built on.

    “We have a lot of international partners that we work with that are technology providers. We partner with them in order to bring such technology that does not exist here. For instance, looking at voice biometric for example, we have a solution in voice biometrics. It would surprise you to know that our voices are as unique as our fingerprints. We can use that to help people using services but they are not very literate. Some people have problems with remembering their PINs, because they are not literate, and you see people that are not so literate telling people their passwords and therefore exposing themselves. How can we that voice for example in terms of security, as we have a lot of security issues in our society?

    “These are some of the problems that this technology as simple as might seem can solve. Aside the voice technology, there is a technology that uses artificial intelligence, AI. There is a partner we are working with, we use what we call AI that can identify moving objects. It can actually tell if the person is a male or female. These are some of the innovations we do at Bridge57,” Ilori submitted. 

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  • Dr Obadare Wins CSEAN’s first Cybersecurity Outstanding Individual Award

    Dr Obadare Wins CSEAN’s first Cybersecurity Outstanding Individual Award

    Dr. Obadare Peter Adewale, the Co-Founder and the Chief Visionary officer (CVO) of Digital Encode Limited, has emerged the first recipient of Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN’s) ‘Outstanding Individual of the Year Award’.

    Peter is arguably the most “Credentialed” PAN-African CyberSecurity Influencer, Thought Leader & GRC Technopreneur.

    He received the latest honours at CSEAN Merit Award held recently in Lagos.

    According to Mrs. Oluwatoni Falade, Chairperson, Award Planning Committee, the award was in recognition of his over-time demonstrated excellence, innovation and leadership within the cybersecurity industry.

    Dr Obadare Wins CSEAN’s first Cybersecurity Outstanding Individual Award 2022
    L-r: Mr. Remi Afon, CSEAN Board Chairman; Dr. Obadare Peter Adewale, the Co-Founder and the Chief Visionary officer (CVO) of Digital Encode Limited and the first recipient of Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN’s) ‘Outstanding Individual of the Year Award’, and Mr. Ade Shoyinka CSEAN Presiden, during the award ceremony in Lagos recently.

    A Fellow British Computer Society (FBCS), Fellow Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC), Fellow Institute of Information Management (FIIM), Fellow Enterprise Security Risk Management (FESRM), Fellow Institute of Brand Management (FIBM), Chartered Information Technology Professional (CITP), The First PECB Certified Data Protection Officer  (CDPO) in Nigeria, The First PECB Lead Pentest Professional in Nigeria,  The First Ec-Council Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT) in Africa , First Ec-Council Certified Blockchain in Africa, Second COBIT 5 Certified Assessor in Africa,  Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard Qualified Security Assessor (PCI DSS QSA) and Forbes Technology Council Official Member.

    He is a seasoned Multi-Award Cybersecurity expert with over 50 (Fifty) international professional certifications to his credit, Master of Science in Cybersecurity, Liverpool University, UK, and was awarded Honorarary Doctorate Degree in Cybersecurity from Trinity International University of Ambassadors Atlanta Georgia, United State of America.

    Peter is a well-recognized subject matter expert with numerous successful engagements to his credit in Africa.

    His skills and experience spans Data Privacy, Data Protection, CyberSecurity, Information Security, Vulnerability Management, Penetration Testing, Computer Forensics, Business Continuity, I T Governance, Risk Management and Compliance.

    He is a Platinum Team Member of Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual (OSSTMM), as well a Senior Member of Risk Managers Association of Nigeria (RIMAN).

    He is an alumnus of FATE Foundation and US Department of State Exchange program.

    He is also a distinguished alumnus of executive education at Harvard Business School, Harvard School of Government, MIT Sloan School of Management, MIT Professional Education and Oxford University – Said Business School.

    Dr Obadare Wins CSEAN
    The Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN’s) ‘Outstanding Individual of the Year Award’ plaque presented to Dr. Adewale Peter Obadare.

    Responding to the award, he said, “Thank you CSEAN. I am extremely honored to be receiving such the ‘Outstanding Individual of the Year Award’. I am earnestly grateful for the recognition I have received for my work and my  pledge is to continue to represent the industry well. Thank you”.

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  • Afrinvest Report Shows Banks’ Resilience despite Economic Downturn

    The 2022 Afrinvest Banking Sector Report has shown that commercial banks recorded modest improvement in all regulatory indicators despite daunting economic challenges.

    The report, presented by Mr Victor Ndukauba, Deputy Group Managing Director, Afrinvest West Africa, showed that the banks beat all the prudential guideline limits set by the Central Bank of Nigeria, showing resilience and strength during the year.

    2022 Afrinvest Banking Sector Report
    2022 Afrinvest Banking Sector Report

    Its presentation was made at the launch of the 17th edition of the Nigerian Banking Sector Report and unveiling of Optimus, Afrinvest’s digital investment app, in Lagos on Wednesday night. 

    The occasion also marked the announcement of Afrinvest’s new subsidiaries and expansion of its leadership team as well as the unveil of Afrinvest’s refreshed logo(brand identity)

    The report’s assessment of CBN’s financial stability indicators showed that Industry Liquidity(Liquidity Ratio) and Non-Performing Loan ratios both improved by 130 basis points(up) and 75bps(down), respectively, to 42.6 per cent and 4.95 per cent. 

    https://techeconomy.ng/2021/06/naira-tumbles-by-51-95-despite-cbns-various-foreign-exchange-policies/

    Although, the Capital Adequacy Ratio(CAR: 14.1 per cent) underperformed the June 2021 level by 140bps, all the indicators beat the prudential guideline limits of 30 per cent(LR), five per cent(NPLs), and 13.0 per cent(CAR), respectively, despite myriads of challenges in the business environment. 

    The report said the improvement is expected to be sustained over the coming years.

    It explained that the fiscal challenges presented by weak Federal Government earnings have contributed to the muddling of monetary policy and strong use of Cash Reserve Ratio debits as a subtle strategy, in our view, to compensate for the inflationary effect of ballooned overdraft to the government. 

    It insists that in increasing its developmental financing role, especially in agriculture financing, the CBN risks crowding out banks and private sector financing, which is more effective in de-risking the sector and incentivising growth without moral hazards. 

    “Importantly, the weak economic growth has robbed banks of the dividend of large and youthful demographics. Over the last 10 years to 2021, real Gross Domestic Product has grown by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.9 per cent compared to 2.3 per cent CAGR for the population. 

    In line with the decline in income level, poverty has risen to 40.1 per cent based on national standards of annual real per capita expenditure threshold of N137,430.

    ” For banks, this reality means that upscaling would be less efficient than in an economy where growth exceeds population expansion. Not surprising, Nigeria’s financial depth is weak as is for countries with high fertility rates and a fragile economic base.,” it said 

    To turn the tide, the BSR recommended that critical reforms be undertaken as matter of urgency to avoid a repeat of the negative trends seen in the last decade. 

    “Some other measures advised include the tapering of fiscal deficit financing – credit to the government – to check money supply expansion, alignment of rates across windows and the adoption of market reflective forex rate via the crawling peg regime. We believe that the outcome for banks in the coming decade would rely on the policy actions taken today to address the issues raised,” it said. 

    On exchange rate management, the report said CBN’s strategy (differentiated rates across market segments and capital control) failed the litmus test over the reviewed period, as anticipated in the 2021 report. 

    It said the value of the Naira depreciated further by 5.6 per cent and 23.2 per cent to N436.50/$1.00 and N712.00$1.00 (on 19/09/2022) at the NAFEX window and parallel market, respectively. It sated that  near-term improvement in the exchange rate is not in sight, given forex supply constraints due to the self-inflicted injuries in Nigeria’s oil & gas sector (the largest source of FX accretion). 

    On the economy, the report said that in 2021, the Nigerian economy recovered markedly from the pandemic-induced strain of the prior year. 

    “Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 3.4 per cent (2020: -1.9 per cent), beating our projection by 0.4ppts. The recovery was mainly driven by the expansion of activities in the non-oil sector (up 4.4 per cent), while the oil sector remained in a recession. This growth momentum was sustained into 2022 albeit with a wider divergence between the oil and non-oil sectors.,” it said.

    The report stated that, given the resilient half-year 2022 performance and expectation of sustained positive performance by key non-oil activity sectors in third and fourth quarters of the year,  it reviewed the 2022 baseline growth forecast upward by 40bps to 3.3 per cent. 

    However, it maintained that growth momentum in the medium term would remain short of the level that can meaningfully lift the average well-being of the citizenry due to persistent domestic and external headwinds. 

    It said oil price level, domestic inflation rate has remained persistently high, averaging 14.3 per cent in the last six years. 

    In first half of 2022, headline inflation averaged 16.7 per cent owing to the impact of the Russia- Ukraine war on input prices, continued forex illiquidity, and structural challenges. Based on the World Bank estimate, the stinging fang of the elevated price level would drag five million more Nigerians into extreme poverty (to reach 95.1m) by 2022 year-end. 

    The report suggested  that only concerted fiscal and monetary policy efforts targeted at resolving insecurity challenges, optimising exchange rate management, fixing structural loopholes, and curbing reckless fiscal spending would resolve the high inflation quagmire. 

    It however, acknowledged that the CBN has taken the lead in the efforts at curtailing the runaway inflation rate as seen in the back-to-back hike of the Monetary Policy Rate in May, July, and September 2022 to 15.5 per cent. 

    On the fiscal policy front, it said the divergence between the share of FG’s recurrent (debt & non-debt combined) and capital expenditure component has widened significantly in the last decade. 

    “Sadly, economic growth and fiscal stability have suffered the biggest impact from the worsened divergence. Before then, we observed a strong nexus between capital expenditure performance and growth in the decade to 2009. From 1999 to 2009, the divergence between the size of recurrent and capital expenditure averaged 48.5 per cent,” it stated.

    It explained that over this period, GDP growth (average: 7.0 per cent) out- paced population growth (2.6 per cent p.a.) significantly. This trend dovetailed into a strong labour market perfor- mance as the unemployment rate eased steadily to about 5.0 per cent by 2009 year-end, according to NBS data. 

    Also, GDP per capita surged by 279.9 per cent to $1,891, while fiscal condition ended the decade strong as FG revenue to expenditure ratio printed at 76.5 per cent (2009) with public debt stock (N3.8tn) to GDP ratio of 7.5 per cent. Sadly, this trend has completely reversed over the last decade. 

    It explained that between 2010 and 2021, the divergence between the share of recurrent and capital expenditure budgets widened to 74.3 per cent on average. 

    “As a result, the share of capital expenditure in the total budget has dropped to an average of 18.9 per cent per annum. When examined from 2015, the divergence is wider at an average of 75.3 per cent, while the average share of capital expenditure in the total budget printed lower at 18.5 per cent This suggests that the economy’s average propensity to consume (represented by recurrent expenditure) has increased by more than 20.0 per cent in the last decade,” the report said. 

    In his comments, Ike Chioke, the Group Managing Director, Afrinvest West Africa, said Nigerians should prepare for reforms that would turn the economy around.

    He said that looking ahead, Nigeria was set for another cycle of leadership in 2023 as the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari, 30 state governors, and over 1,000 legislatures draw to a close. 

    “At a time when there is daunting fiscal, monetary, and social challenges to surmount, Nigerians cannot afford to elect leaders who lack the competence, capacity, and creativity to find lasting solutions to the national quagmire. Even with a leadership that is willing to introduce the needed reforms, the present challenging environment would worsen before it can get better,” Chioke said.

    According to him, regardless of who the President is Nigerians will need to brace for impact. 

    “Noteworthy, the political will of the incoming administration to implement tough reforms that would curtail major economic leakages such as the subsidy regime on PMS (which has gulped over N7.0tn since 2010) and ensure the proper channelling of scarce resources to critical sectors would be a refreshing start,” he added. 

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  • Digital Nigeria: DG NITDA Tasks Tech Innovators on Problem Solving

    The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE has challenged the Nigerian tech innovators and entrepreneurs to identify problems bedeviling the nation with the view of proffering solutions because the government has provided a level playing field for them to achieve that.

    Inuwa stated this at the Day Three of the Digital Nigeria International Conference 2022 holding Abuja. 

    He noted that for Nigeria to succeed, the tech ecosystem needs every stakeholder on board to play their roles as required of them. “To build a very strong tech ecosystem, we need the government, the higher institutions, we need the entrepreneurs, the risk capitalists and corporate organisations everybody has its own role to play.”

    He stated that the government is playing its role by creating a level playing ground by formulating policies, legal framework, regulations and intervening in providing infrastructure to the underserved and unserved communities reiterating that the government is doing more than enough in these regards.

    “The government needs you, needs your commitment the same way the government is committed. For the higher institutions, we need you to produce high quality education to the people because innovation, digital economy or knowledge-based economy are all human capital economy.”

    “Your greatest resources are not the mineral resources but it is what you have in your brain; we need higher institutions to produce the right skill, talents and people with entrepreneurial skills,” Inuwa noted. 

    He claimed that the government is doing more than enough in terms of building the human capital and “this is beyond conventional educational system,” adding that the government has several initiatives to achieve the 90 per cent digital literacy which would go a long way in building the tech ecosystem. 

    He said, “We need the number. We need people to have skills to use in the digital based technological environment and that is why we are training people on high earned skills to build the digital service because digital service is a product-based economy.”   

    He listed part of government initiatives to include the partnership between Nigeria government and Microsoft to train 5 million Nigerians, the partnership with COUSERA to train 24,000 and several others which aimed at positioning Nigeria to be the global talent factory. 

    “One of the digital prints we need in the ecosystem is the legal framework. Just last week the President signed the Nigeria Start up bill into law so all these is to level the playing field for you.” 

    “For the entrepreneurs, now you have the playing field; it is left for you to take your ideas from invention to impact and in Nigeria and even Africa in general, we have a lot of problems awaiting solutions. And technology can serve as inspiration for you to solve these problems so all you need is to explore how you can solve the problems and impact lives,” he said.

    While decrying the imbalance in the distribution of global wealth and prosperity, Inuwa maintained that with the thriving tech ecosystem, the imbalance would be corrected. He added that successful countries have three things in common which are innovation, entrepreneurship and good ecosystem because nobody succeed in isolation.

    He said, “Even in Nigeria, if you look at the ecosystem, Lagos alone is contributing almost one quarter of the Nigerian Gross Domestic Products, (GDP) and when you talk about the tech ecosystem, it attracts more than 50 per cent; so why?”

    He however, sued for the replication of the feat in all other parts of the country. He said, “We can build this kind of ecosystem across the country because every part of the country has its strength and weakness. If we can leverage on the strength, we can build the same ecosystem to build prosperity because innovation is the only thing that can lead any nation to prosperity.”

    The Day Three of the International Conference which was tagged “Start-Up and Innovation Ecosystem Day” witnessed various enthralling discussions with the lead speech on “Innovative Ecosystem and Investors’ Perspective” which was presented by Satesh Elwani the managing Director Melsons Group.

    The panel sessions focused on: “Building a Thriving and Sustainable Start-up and Innovation Ecosystem for Nigeria’s Digital Economy;” “A tent Approach to Addressing the Talent Gap Issues;” “Exploring the Funding Opportunities for Nigerian Start-ups” and “Unlocking Nigeria’s Innovation Potentials for Economic Growth and Prosperity.” 

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  • Telecom Tariff Increase Reversal: Matters Arising

    The Nigerian telecommunications sector has remained, perhaps, the most dynamic section of the economy for over two decades. It is a major newsmaker.

    One day it is news for new milestones, new technologies and new vistas and the next day regulatory restrictions, multiple taxations by the government and its agents or else disruption of service by the same. It is a real roller-coaster ride. 

    https://techeconomy.ng/2022/10/japa-syndrome-hits-telecom-sector-2000-workers-left-nigeria-this-year-ajibola-olude/

    Yet, the sector has proven resilient, even before resilience was a thing. To get to where it is today, the players have invested heavily, struggled with and overcame myriads of obstacles and continue to stretch to do new and exciting things. It strives to keep abreast of the latest development across the globe.  

    It is clear that the telecommunication revolution championed widespread access to broadband internet services and the attendant benefits, enabled the growth of e-commerce and precipitated the emergence of the digital economy.

    This is, in addition, to direct contributions to the economy through taxes paid, job creation and sustenance of many MSMEs.

    While some experts point to government policies and fair regulatory practices as the biggest enabler of growth in the sector over the years, some argue that the government and its agents are also the greatest obstacles to the sector achieving its full potential. 

    One simply needs to look back to the recent SIM/ NIN policy and attempt to evaluate the cost: millions of lines were lost, businesses closed, people lost jobs and the economy constricted. 

    https://techeconomy.ng/2022/04/national-security-ncc-directs-mnos-to-restrict-over-72-million-subscribers-from-making-calls/

    Last week, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the regulator of the telecommunications industry, ordered operators, MTN and Airtel, to immediately reverse the hike in their data tariff plan which they implemented on their respective networks the previous week.

    https://techeconomy.ng/2022/10/breaking-fg-directs-telecom-service-providers-to-reverse-10-voice-data-tariff-increase/

    News reports indicated that MTN and Airtel subscribers suddenly realised that the operators had commenced a new data tariff plan which was an upward review of the cost of their voice and data plan, without prior notice.

    The NCC immediately stepped in. It ordered the mobile network operators to reverse the hike in response to the complaints by the telecom subscribers. In a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs at NCC, Mr. Reuben Muoka, the commission stated, “The attention of the NCC has been drawn to media reports of unilateral implementation of the recently approved 10 per cent upward tariff adjustments for some voice and data services by the service providers, on their networks.

    “The consideration for 10 per cent approval for tariff adjustments for different voice and data packages was in line with the mandates of the Commission as provided by the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, and other extant Regulations and Guidelines, as this was within the provisions of the existing price floor and price cap as determined for the industry.

    “The decision was also taken after a critical and realistic review and analysis of the operational environment and the current business climate in Nigeria, as it affects all sectors of the economy.

    “Furthermore, even though the tariff adjustment was proposed and provisionally approved by the management, pending the final approval of the Board of the Commission, in the end, it did not have the approval of the Board of the Commission. As a result, it is reversed.”

    This simply means that the NCC agreed with the operators that the tariff increase was due in the light of the prevailing economic situation but its board thought otherwise and failed to approve the new tariff.

    In the meantime, operators had gone ahead to implement the new tariff and have now been directed to reverse it. 

    In truth, the matter extends beyond the NCC. Everything rests squarely on the table of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami.

    He has maintained that his priority is to protect the citizens and ensure justice for all stakeholders involved. This is not mere rhetoric. He has this demonstrated severally. 

    It will be recalled that he recently obtained the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari for the suspension of the proposed five per cent excise duty, in order to maintain a conducive enabling environment for the telecom operators. The industry rightly commended him. 

    In this case of tariff increase, he argues that as much as there is an increase in the cost of production, the provision of telecom services is still very profitable and the subscribers mustn’t be subjected to a hike in charges.

    The Commission in its statement noted that it will also continue to abide by its time-tested process and international best practices to ensure efficient pricing mechanisms for the telecommunications industry in Nigeria.

    Nice sounding words no doubt but the reality is that in situations like this someone is getting the short end of the stick and it’s definitely not the regulator. 

    The NBS reveals that inflation has exceeded 20 per cent with food and power as the biggest drivers of the rise. 

    Has anyone bothered to ask how the operators are coping? In under a year, the cost of diesel has risen significantly and hovers around N850 per litre. Of course, the discos, the electricity distribution firms, have also increased their tariffs even though the service has not improved in any way.

    A certain paid cable service has ignored threats from the national assembly and gone ahead and increased its tariff. The case is in court. 

    Telcos find themselves in a pickle, whatever course of action they take they will likely end up as villains. 

    If the tariff rise holds, Nigerians will no doubt consider them insensitive. And if the tariff remains the same when everything else is rising, it erodes profit, deprives the shareholders and impacts negatively new investments. 

    For the telcos, it is a zero-sum game. 

    I’ll be the first to admit that I’m biased in this matter. I’m both a stakeholder and a shareholder. I want the low tariff to remain but equally worry about the sustainability of the current practice. 

    I wonder about how it would affect the injection of new funds and the need to keep the industry in step with global developments. 

    I am convinced that something has to give and soon. 

    This brings to mind, the story of boiling an egg and potato. The same hot water that makes the egg hard equally makes the potato soft. In this hot water of policy summersault, how the operators will react is anyone’s guess. 

    Let’s keep an eye on the telecom operators, the next couple of weeks promise to be exciting. 

    *Elvis Eromosele, a Corporate Communication professional and public affairs analyst lives in Lagos.

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  • Meet Niyi John Olajide, founder of AXXESS, Solving Big Problems in the Healthcare Sector

    Meet Niyi John Olajide, founder of AXXESS, Solving Big Problems in the Healthcare Sector

    Harnessing advanced health technology is chief among the challenges faced by operators in the healthcare sector.

    Personally, I have thought about this: In the current technology landscape, dynamics of both hardware and software is changing. How will countries like Nigeria navigate the process to stay on top of their games as medical devices are connected through IoT, which is expected to rise up to 68 percent in the next five years?

    Well, it is clearer to me that solution is here. I met a Nigerian whose company is solving big problems in the global healthcare sector.

    Meet Niyi John Olajide

    Niyi John Olajide is founder and CEO of AXXESS, the leading global home healthcare technology company. He leads the strategic vision and direction of the Dallas, Texas-based company, which has locations around the world, including Lagos, Nigeria.

    He is passionate about improving the quality of healthcare services delivered to patients in their homes by empowering healthcare organizations with state-of-the-art software solutions. 

    Since Olajide founded AXXESS in 2007, the company has grown rapidly, and today AXXESS has helped process over $30 billion in claims for over 3 million patients served by over 9000+ organisations around the globe.

    Olajide has been recognized as the Outstanding Healthcare Executive of the Year and a Leader in Diversity, and AXXESS is recognized nationally and internationally as a Best Place to Work.

    His commitment to building a stronger community resulted in him being chosen by his peers to serve in 2020 as the youngest-ever chair of the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce’ board of directors and executive committee and he successfully led the Dallas business community through the COVID-19 pandemic.

    He currently serves on the Board of the Dallas Citizens Council where he works with other leaders to provide guidance on the policy issues that will move the region forward.

    In 2016, Olajide was recognized as the youngest-ever Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Texas at Dallas.

    He has endowed the largest scholarship fund for the Engineering School for Computer Science students. He is currently chairing the billion-dollar campaign fundraising campaign for the University.

    As he has risen to a prominent position, he has always been committed to Africa’s prosperity as well. Having established himself as a leader in the most prosperous business community in the United States, he has focused even more attention on ways to make a difference in his home country of Nigeria and other areas on the continent.

    While recently delivering the keynote convocation address at Babcock University, Nigeria’s first and foremost Private University, Olajide reaffirmed his commitment to promoting an inclusive economic environment that provides and promotes opportunities for growth and job creation across the African continent.

    Beyond numerous philanthropic contributions, Olajide has established Cavista, a global technology company with operations in North America, Asia, Europe and with African operations in Lagos, Nigeria that already employs close to 300 software engineers as he focuses on helping train and develop young talent to solve complex challenges in the Nigerian technology space, while creating job opportunities for development and growth.

    He recently made a multi-million-dollar investment to support Agbeyewa Farms, an agriculture project in Ekiti State that looks to create tens of thousands of jobs.

    Olajide believes strongly in community engagement and invests actively to ensure that the local communities benefit through educational, health, transportation, and other infrastructural schemes.

    Niyi John Olajide serves on the board of the Corporate Council on Africa, which promotes U.S. business and investment in Africa, as well as on the board of the Presidential Precinct in the United States, which engages and inspires emerging leaders in Africa and around the world to address challenges in their countries.

    As he thoughtfully engages on both continents and around the world, Olajide continues to support and partner with leaders in Africa across government, business, and technology.

    He sees Africa’s untapped potential for future growth and prosperity and wants to do what he can to help Africa achieve that potential.

    Cavista Nigeria workplace
    Cavista Nigeria workplace

    …Niyi John Olajide in Nigeria to Redefine Job Creation

    As a Nigerian from Erinmope-Ekiti, Olajide decided that investing in Nigeria was quite necessary.

    In his words:

    “Nigeria is the hub for the best brains in the IT sector and software development. It’s my own way of contributing my own quota towards ensuring sustainable growth and opportunities for job creation in the economy. I am passionate about increasing access to quality healthcare for people everywhere in the world and with technology, we can make that possible.

    “Nigeria is blessed with highly cerebral youth who are doing great things with limited resources when it comes to all aspects of software development, robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and the rest. This spurred my interest in partnering with CAVISTA Nigeria.

    “Today, CAVISTA is creating solutions to the challenging issues of health care delivery in Nigeria and employing great young minds to solve problems, rather than allowing them to leave Nigeria to use their skills to develop in another country,” he said. 

    Continuing, he said, “AXXESS played a major role in shaping the $100 billion home health industry in the USA and the $600 billion global industry”.

    “AXXESS has helped process over $30 billion in claims for over 3 million patients served by over 9,000 organisations around the globe”.

    Even as he enjoyed success in the U.S., Africa has always remained in Niyi’s thoughts. “We have a lot of work to do, but I live every day with the belief that anything is possible,” he said.

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  • Why NITDA Should Consider Partnering with B2B eCommerce Companies

    The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in the pursuit of its vast mandates that focus on fostering the development and growth of Information Technology (IT) in Nigeria, has different activities running to proactively facilitate the development of the nation into a sustainable digital economy.

    The agency, which acknowledges that the information and communication sector is growing and creating thousands of new jobs every year and providing opportunities for development,  has an all-inclusive ICT capacity- building intervention for different segments including executives, People With Disabilities (PWD),  women, even as children  are not left out in the digital literacy plan. In September, over 300 children were graduated by NITDA  from the STEM Bootcamp for children in Lagos. 

    https://techeconomy.ng/2022/10/nitda-is-positioning-nigerian-youth-to-take-advantages-of-emerging-technologies/

    Director General of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, at the graduation ceremony, said the programme was aimed at bridging the gap that currently exists in the educational sector, adding that it resonates deeply with the ongoing efforts toward implementing the National Digital Economy Policy for digital Nigeria.

    Moreover, during the Nigeria Computer Society’s (NCS) courtesy call on NITDA DG, where the society presented a ‘Proud Ambassador’ award to the DG for his outstanding leadership, Abdullahi assured that NITDA has an ambitious target of making Nigeria a start-up nation and to train one million programmers between now and next year to achieve 95 per cent digital literacy in Nigeria by the year 2030. 

    He was quoted to have said, “We believe we cannot succeed in isolation. That is why we collaborate with organisations like yours.”

    Meanwhile, as NITDA’s numerous works are commendable, it will be suggested the agency looks more in the way of partnering e-commerce firms with existing presence in some underserved areas especially in the South West region, to deepen its efforts and fasten the realisation of the 95 per cent digital literacy goal in Nigeria by the year 2030.

    These e-commerce firms contribute immensely in human capital development. For example, Alerzo, a business-to-business (B2B) firm, founded in Ibadan, Oyo State in 2019 and has spread across the nation, has invested heavily in its over 150,000 informal retailers as part of its efforts in driving the nation’s digital economy.

    At a recent media parley, Alerzo’s Group CEO, Adewale Opaleye, stressed the need for partnership, while saying that the firm embraces technology to solve the challenges informal retailers face.

    He did mention that the firm developed its entire infrastructure from the scratch, including its over 40 warehouses and over 400 vehicles for fast and timely delivery.

    Opaleye said Alerzo has foot soldiers who through the infrastructures created go from shop to shop teaching informal retailers how to download apps, register on the apps, know what to click, how to select products, how to check out and operate the Veedez bookkeeping app. Adding that as an organisation, Alerzo delights in helping informal retailers adopt digital innovations in operating profitable businesses even as they are equipped with skills of the future.

    Recalling, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), while recently applauding consistent growth in ICT contributions to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which hit 17.92 per cent in the last quarter of 2020 and in the first quarter of 2021, assured of the Federal Government’s commitment to the development of a robust digital economy.

    https://techeconomy.ng/2022/10/nigeria-at-62-alerzo-offering-micro-businesses-freedom-using-technology/

    However, as the government invests in ICT and pushes for less dependency on oil to boost the economy of Nigeria, there is hope that the collaboration of NITDA, Alerzo and other e-commerce firms particularly in the South West will further impact on the socio-economic development of the region and by extension the nation and continent.

    ====

    Lere Ojedokun, a development and policy advocate, contributes this piece from Lagos.

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  • NCC Receives Cybersecurity Award, Seeks Safer Internet Usage

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) at the weekend received a cybersecurity promotion award from the Cybersecurity Experts Association of Nigerian (CSEAN) and called on relevant stakeholders to join hands with NCC to promote safer Internet experience in Nigeria.

    https://techeconomy.ng/2022/10/csean-rewards-ten-individuals-organisations-in-maiden-cybersecurity-merit-awards/

    The award was conferred on the Commission in recognition of NCC’s sterling contributions to the protection of telecom consumers from all forms of cybercrimes.

    The conferment ceremony took place at the maiden edition of Cybersecurity Merit Awards (CMA-2022) organised by CSEAN in Lagos.

    Receiving the 2022 Cybersecurity Award for Best Public Sector Organisation at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who was represented by a delegation led by the Director, New Media and Information Security (NMIS), Dr. Alhassan Haru; and Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Reuben Muoka, thanked the orgainser for the recognition.

    He told the audience that tackling the menace of cybercrime in the country has become even more imperative as the success of the implementation of digital economy policy and strategy depends on a strong foundation of cybersecurity architecture in Nigeria.

    Danbatta said one of the key pillars of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, is Soft Infrastructure, which is premised on harnessing policy and regulatory initiatives to create an enabling environment that focuses on increased protection for users of digital products and services in the country.

    “The Commission is committed to ensuring that the Nigerian cyberspace is protected against the nefarious activities of cybercriminals that endanger unsuspecting Internet users in the country,” he said.

    The EVC said it is in recognition of the strategic role the cyberspace plays in the advancement of digital economy that the Commission created NMIS department in charge of several activities, initiatives and programmes pivoted on collaboration to enhance cybersecurity and information security in the Nigerian cyberspace.

    “We have continued to be part of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), promote Child Online Protection as well as create awareness on cyber threats through the NCC’s Computer Security Incidence Response Team (CSIRT), which constantly monitors the cyberspace and publishes advisories on identified cyber threats,” the EVC said.

    Danbatta said as the regulator of telecom sector, the main carrier of cyber communication, the NCC has leveraged NDEPS to work with relevant stakeholders to create an enabling environment where Internet users are able to navigate the cyberspace without being abused, attacked or losing money.

    The Chief telecom regulator appealed to all stakeholders to join hands with the Commission in tackling every manifestation of cyber threat.

    The CMA 2020 is organized to recognise individuals, startups, private businesses, Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) of government, as well as state governments for excellence, innovation, and effective leadership in promoting cybersecurity ecosystem in Nigeria.

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  • CSEAN Rewards Ten Individuals, Organisations in Maiden Cybersecurity Merit Awards

    The Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) on Friday in Lagos rewarded ten individuals and organizations during the association’s maiden Cybersecurity Merit Award 2022.

    The ten awardees are Cyberstartup of the year, which goes to Cyber Plural; Media House of the year – ChannelTV, State Government of the Year- Lagos State; MDA (Public Sector) of the year – Nigerian Communications Commission; Oraganisation (Private Sector) of the year – CyberSOC; University of the Year- Federal University of Technology, Minna; CSEAN Member of the Year – Rotimi Ajasan and Financial Institution of the year – Stanbic IBTC Bank.

    Other awardees the association considers as special category awards are Rising Star of the year; Outstanding Individual of the year – Dr. Peter Obadare and Cybersecurity woman of the Year – Confidence Staveley.

    Speaking during his welcome address, the President of CSEAN, Mr. Ade Shoyinka noted that the essence of the maiden, which is the first ever award organized by the association is to shine the spotlight on some individuals and organisations the association considers to have done very well in the promotion of cybersecuiry.

    He argued that those to be honoured have singled themselves out as their activities have led to a safer cyberspace in Nigeria.

    “The reason we’re here today is to shine the spotlight on our nominees who have been outstanding in contributing to the development of cyber security. I would like to congratulate you all for your innovation, leadership and achievements and you deserve a round of applause,” he said.

    While imploring the awardees to continue to work even harder in promoting the cybersecurity profession in Nigeria, the President stated that it is his sincere hope that the cybersecurity merit award will help to unite the cybersecurity ecosystem in the country.

    Also speaking about the Cybersecurity Merit award is the Chairperson of the award planning committee, Oluwatoni Falade.

    According to her, Cybersecurity Merit award recognizes and rewards outstanding individuals, organizations, institutions and states that demonstrate excellence, innovation and leadership within the cybersecurity industry.

    “This Award is facilitated by cybersecurity expert association of Nigeria tapping into the past experience of cybersecurity professionals around the world. So, achievements and generate an industry wide recognition in every facet of information security, development and awareness in Nigeria,” she said.

    She narracted that the notable events started months ago as a wishful idea, adding that the association adopted three approaches, which are nomination, nominees profiling and evaluation by a panel of 12 judges who did a wonderful job of reducing the nomination from 112 to the final ten.

    Meanwhile, the Deputy British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Ben Llewelyn-jones in his remark assured of the UK’ government commitment to work with the Nigerian government in addressing cyber security issues across Nigeria.

    Llewelyn-jones, who was represented at the Cybersecurity Merit Awards by the UK’s Head of Prosperity in Nigeria, Martha Bostock, noted that working with Nigeria will strengthen and make the cyberspace free for all.

    “We will continue to collaborate with the Nigerian government to achieve a safer cyberspace,” he assured.

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  • Investing for the Future; Axxess CEO – Niyi John Olajide’s Lecture at Ekiti Governorship Inauguration

    Investing for the Future; Axxess CEO – Niyi John Olajide’s Lecture at Ekiti Governorship Inauguration

    ON Friday, October 14 2022, . Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, former secretary to the state government (SSG), took oath of office as the governor of Ekiti state. One of the highpoints of the occasion was Keynote Address by Mr. Niyi John Olajide, the founder/CEO of Axxess Technology Solutions; a home healthcare software provider and consulting firm based in Dallas, Texas.

    Niyi John Olajide Axxess with Kayode Fayemi
    L-r: Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Former Governor of Ekiti State; Niyi John Olajide, Chairman, Agbeyewa, and HE Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, Executive Governor of Ekiti State (Photo Credit: Vanguard/Google.com)

    At the 2022 Ekiti State Governorship Inauguration ceremony held at Obafemi Awolowo Civic Centre, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Mr. Olajide titled his keynote as ‘WINNING THE FUTURE! New Thinking to Power the Prosperity of Ekiti State’.

    He said that to win in the future, now is the time to A.C.T; of which ‘A’ stands for being ‘Accountable’ and taking ‘Action; ‘C’ for commitment; ‘T’ is for teamwork. The speech really has got investors thinking, especially on how to take the advantages Ekiti economy presents.

    Before we proceed, it is important to address the immediate question you may have:

    Who is Niyi John Olajide?

    He is a proud son of Erinmope-Ekiti. The third of five boys born to the parents. It may also interest you to know that he was born in Ajegunle in Lagos. He grew up and had primary and secondary education in Nigeria, before going abroad for further studies.

    John grew up in a Nigeria where it was the ideal for every child to have a qualitative education in public schools regardless of the economic circumstances of their families – where every child could aspire to a brighter future and be given the chance to fully express his/her God-given potential in life.

    As he told the audience in Ado-Ekiti, he say very often that it was the solid foundation in character and learning that he got from the family and as a Nigerian that accounts for the modest achievements he has attained so far in life.

    “That, in addition to the fact that I have the good fortune of being an Ekiti man”, he argued anyway.

    Niyi John Olajide’s parents didn’t get beyond a primary six education, but they were very educated, and they placed a high premium on their children excelling in school and being morally upright.

    Indeed, from very early in life his being Ekiti became the very essence and shaped his worldview. He internalized the pristine Ekiti values that have guided him in life and career so far – selfless service, collaboration, hard work, excellence, and integrity.

    To further buttress this point about how highly Ekitis value education and how teachers were revered, read Mr. Olajide’s.

    The Speech:

    “I may borrow from the speech so eloquently delivered by our renowned Ekiti poet, Prof. Niyi Osundare, at the inauguration of Governor Fayemi as Governor about this time 4 years ago. In his speech, he rendered an old Ekiti song, which goes:

    Elu o e Elu o aaa o, Elu o e Elu o aaa o

    Ku ‘ku bati moti p’omo mi lule oko o

    (If death does not kill my children in my husband’s house).

    Mo ti a p’itan ijo mo je o

    (I will one day tell the story of when I had enough to eat.)

    Mo ti a p’itan ijo mo mu o

    (I will one day tell the story of when I had enough to drink.)

    Mo tia s’eye Ologun Tisa o

    (I will be the proud mother of the Gallant Teacher.)

    As Prof. Osundare noted, the significance in the song of the singer’s aspiration to become ‘Eye Tisa’ – the Teacher’s mother – indicates the high esteem in which the teacher was held in those days. The teacher’s role and impact went beyond the classroom by virtue of his learning and education.

    The teacher was regarded, among other things, as an embodiment of enlightenment, a community leader, a consultant on many matters, and a disciplinarian of the community’s wayward children. That was the high premium we placed on education, and on those responsible for educating the future generations.

    So, for me, there is no debate about the most pressing imperatives our good country must address to win the future – Education and the Restoration of our Values.

    In this regard, I thank H.E. Governor Kayode Fayemi for taking action and being accountable to prioritise these issues during your tenure and for all you accomplished, including the recent announcement by UNICEF that Ekiti state has the second lowest rate of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

    I celebrate Governor Fayemi for his vision, creativity, and diligence that has brought our beloved state this far, and for grooming a worthy successor in the person of our governor-elect, H.E. Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, who is now set to consolidate and build upon the legacy.

    The orderliness demonstrated with this transition is a source of pride to all Ekitis at home and abroad and has laid a precedence we must never fall short of in the future.

    Your Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the outcome of sustained efforts to improve the quality of education, and the restoration of the primacy of our values in society which we are beginning to see, is a new mindset that is essential for the times we are in – a new way of thinking required to win the future.

    We must reorient our hearts and minds with a focus on our youth who are in the majority, to see the opportunities before us as a people and a State who are uniquely positioned to become the most prosperous state in Nigeria within the next 30 years, in line with the Ekiti State Development Plan (2021 – 2050).

    Some might wonder if I am talking about the same small landlocked Ekiti State with meagre federal allocations, and immense developmental challenges.

    My belief in Ekiti’s opportunity is not unfounded, nor is it wishful thinking.

    As an entrepreneur who started Axxess at the age of 26 and grew it into a global corporation disrupting the industries we operate in, I owe my success to spotting business opportunities long before they become obvious. I believe Ekiti’s prosperity is possible. I truly believe with the proper mindset, anything is possible.

    I recently led a discussion among our leaders at Axxess globally to encourage all of us to dream about what is possible for our company and at the same time reflect on our respective individual purposes in life. I know my own purpose is to serve others, and I suspect that many of you also feel a similar purpose. I also imagine that right now most of us are giving a lot of thought to what role we are going to play in Ekiti’s future.

    One of the strategic outcomes of our discussions was to take position in Ekiti State. You see, I am very clear about the possibilities in Ekiti, as well as the role I believe God would have me play, and I am very excited about it. As we all work together to create a brighter future for Ekiti, I encourage everyone here very strongly to remember that anything is possible, because as we all must have heard, “Whatever our minds can conceive of, and we truly believe – and we work hard – we can achieve”.

    As a practical example, our decision to take action and make strategic investments in Ekiti State is not just based on the sentiments that I am an Ekiti man, but because of the meeting of minds with the vision of H.E. Governor Kayode Fayemi and his team who have laid a solid foundation for Ekiti to become the preferred destination to live, work, and invest. Their commitment was clear and remains sustained.

    Today, our group of companies is arguably the single largest private investor in Ekiti State, with interests in frontier sectors such as Agriculture, Tourism, and the Knowledge Economy, in addition to massive investments in the civic sector.

    I am particularly fascinated that our Agbeyewa Farms, an agriculture project in Ekiti State that has seen us invest billions of naira already, is set to create tens of thousands of jobs, and once again restore the idea of Agbeloba – dignity and prosperity in farming.

    Niyi Olajide and the team at Agbeyewa farm
    Niyi Olajide and the team at Agbeyewa farm (PHOTO: Agbeyewa farm)

    We have the concession to revamp our flagship tourism destination in the state – Ikogosi Warm Springs, and are set to turn it into a world class golfing and vacation resort destination.

    We are also strategic partners to the Ekiti Knowledge Zone project, and are bringing to bear our expertise in building Cavista, our technology company here in Nigeria that already employs over 300 engineers and is poised to employ thousands more.

    Cavista focuses on supporting our global engineering infrastructure and also training and developing young talent here in Nigeria to service clients globally.

    Cassava as planted in Agbeyewa Farms
    Cassava as planted in Agbeyewa Farms (PHOTO: Agbeyewa farm)

    I am passionate about economic development and look forward to seeing all our investments make a significant impact in the lives of people in our host communities. Equally important however, is that I want to make sustainable investments, and I know Ekiti is the best bet to take a position in now.

    I must also mention that I have clarified my three goals for being in Ekiti – Number One, Jobs! Number Two, Jobs! And I’m sure you know Number Three is Jobs! I am in Ekiti to demonstrate that peace and prosperity is possible when we create jobs and broaden the range of economic opportunities available for our young people to live full and productive lives.

    It all started with me and my team observing the integrated approach to the Fayemi administration’s investments in infrastructure across the state strategically aimed at positioning us to leverage our two strongest areas of competitive advantage – Agriculture and the Knowledge Economy.

    When the Fayemi administration commenced the Airport and the Ekiti Knowledge Zone projects, I knew it was time. Their actions were clear and their commitment, consistent.

    I still get the sense that many of us do not fully understand the game-changers these two projects are to our prospects as a state, and the emerging vista of opportunities that are now unfolding before our eyes. I do.

    You see, I was privileged to have had a front row seat observing how a sub-national jurisdiction like Ekiti State leapfrogged within a short period of time. In the context of comparison to other states in their respective countries, Ekiti State and the Dallas region, have a lot of similarities.

    Or to put it more correctly, many years ago, the Dallas region in the context of its positioning in the United States of America, was where Ekiti State currently is within the context of our position in Nigeria.

    I have been tremendously blessed to be part of the Dallas business community. The Dallas region is welcoming and today is the most prosperous in the United States, and indeed the world. There is no place in the world as focused on business prosperity and economic development as the Dallas region – and it’s paying off.

    You may be interested to know that the region by itself has the 23rd largest economy in the world. For context, Nigeria is 24th.

    But to achieve this prosperity took vision, action, commitment and teamwork. The success of the Dallas Metroplex was made possible by the sheer force of the will of the people. Won pinu wipe ilu won lati da se, o de da (they resolved that their region must be successful, and they achieved it). I believe the greatest resource any community has it its people.

    Like Ekiti, Dallas is landlocked, and is very much in the middle of the country. The Dallas-Fort Worth International airport was a major game-changer in attracting business, world class companies, and tourism to the region.

    Ekiti State Cargo Airport commissioned
    Newly commissioned Ekiti State Cargo Airport (Photo Credit: Google.com)

    This opportunity is now available with the Ekiti Agro-Allied Airport. The Dallas region’s success story rests on two pillars – the people and the airport. We now have both in Ekiti.

    The airport is our vital gateway to the rest of the world. Governor Fayemi, I want to congratulate you and your government on this remarkable achievement. History will bear out the wisdom of your vision.

    Dallas serves as a great example for all of us here. I am a long-time member of the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce’s executive board and served as its chairman in the year 2020. Talk about perfect timing! It was my responsibility to lead the business community through the COVID pandemic.

    As a result of being proactive in our thinking and aggressive in our actions, the Dallas region is even better positioned for prosperity today than prior to the pandemic.

    The Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce took the time a few years ago to establish a 30-year plan for the region, addressing amongst other things infrastructure needs, educational priorities, and legislative priorities to ensure the alignment of laws, policies, and programmes that will support the region’s growth. I am glad that Ekiti has similarly developed a 30-year developmental plan.

    The Dallas region understands the incredible value of compounding on its continuing success. I must share that I believe we are all getting either slightly better or slightly worse every day. At Axxess, I comment often that we are either growing or we’re dying. It’s binary. There is no middle ground.

    But growth does not have to be dramatic every day. Just making a little progress every day can lead to meaningful improvements. A one percent change is barely noticeable in isolation. But because of the miracle of compounding, it can have dramatic consequences.

    If Ekiti can get one percent better every day, how much would it improve in one year? You probably know it is going to be more than 365 percent because of compounding. A lot of people think it could be between five and ten times. Let me tell you: The answer is 37 times! Just by being one percent better every day over the course of one year!

    Conversely, if we’re getting one percent worse every day, we are going to be 97 percent worse at the end of the year.

    Change, in whatever direction, starts to add up over time. Staying committed to our vision matters, and that will require all of us working together as a team and putting our differences aside.

    At Axxess, we have more than 50 countries represented in our staff strength of over 1,000 and I have no doubt that embracing this diversity and working together as a team has contributed tremendously to helping us grow.

    Diversity and inclusion are key to ensuring we benefit from hearing all voices and opinions. It applies to businesses, as much as it applies to communities, organizations, as well as politics and governance.

    At Axxess, we say “May the best idea win!” – regardless of where it comes from. Everyone is included and encouraged to offer up their ideas to make us better. Ours is a culture of humility where everyone is valued and their contributions vital to the success of the organization. It is a culture of performance and merit over ego.

    Your excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I would like to bring my remarks to a close by observing, that for a country like Nigeria, I believe when we are able to harness the power of our diversity and build a nation where young and old, rich or poor, Christian, Muslim or any other religion, people from the north or south, east or west, majority or minority, strong or weak, able or disabled, are fully embraced and included in the journey of nation-building based on values of hard work, merit, honesty, fairness, justice, openness and transparency, then we can realize our fullest potential.

    Realizing our fullest potential can only happen when we are all taking accountable “Action” in a “Committed” manner and working “Together” toward this common goal, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in our collective efforts to reverse the tide of brain drain and disillusionment among our young people, and getting them to once again believe in a united and prosperous Ekiti in particular, and Nigeria as a whole. For every single Ekiti person at home and abroad, it is your time to act.

    We need everyone’s contribution to build the Ekiti of our dreams, so this is my call to action. What will you do for Ekiti to make it the most prosperous state in Nigeria in 30 years? And more broadly what will you do for your country to help attain its pride of place in the comity of nations and leave it a better place for generations to come.  

    I offer my personal assurances that I will continue to support the new administration and His Excellency, my friend Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, in the historic task of advancing our collective aspirations for our dear state.

    This for me is not only a patriotic decision, but a strategic business one, and I encourage all Ekitis at home and abroad, as well as our friends and well-wishers from across the world, to also be a part of what our dear Ekiti State – the land of honour, Ule Iyi, Ule Eye – is becoming”.

    Thank you all for listening.

    Ekiti a gbe wa o!

    Niyi John Olajide

    Chief Executive Officer, Axxess

    [An abridge version of the text of keynote address delivered by Niyi John Olajide, Chief Executive Officer, Axxess at the inauguration of Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji as the Governor of Ekiti State on October 14, 2022 in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria].

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  • Alleged Blackmail of Zinox Chairman by Benjamin Joseph: the Inside Story – Business Partner

    Princess Kama, erstwhile business partner of Benjamin Joseph, owner of Citadel Oracle Concepts Limited, an Ibadan-based ICT retail firm, has broken her silence over a long-drawn dispute involving a N170m contract with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) which has seen Mr. Benjamin Joseph standing trial for falsely petitioning the Federal Government, alleging that the Zinox Chairman, Leo Stan Ekeh and others colluded in defrauding it and his company in executing the said contract.

    https://techeconomy.ng/2022/10/ive-never-met-my-alleged-blackmailer-ekeh-zinox-boss/

    Princess disclosed that Benjamin Joseph is an ingrate who attempted to get her support in diverting Mr. Ekeh’s company fund and join in a smear campaign against Mr. Ekeh, while also expressing surprise that the matter was still a subject of debate in the courts and in the media.

    ‘‘It has been nearly a decade. For those who do not know, I stood trial in this case along with Mr.  Onny Igbokwe, owner of AD’MAS Digital Technologies Ltd. Our only offence was trying to help someone who was my business partner back then and who also wanted me to marry him but whom I rejected. However, I thank God that justice prevailed in the end after the case was tried fully on its merits. We (I and Mr. Onny Igbokwe) were both discharged and acquitted by an FCT High Court on 24th February 2021 presided by Honourable Justice Senchi in Charge No. FCT/HC/CR/244/2018, with a sum of N20m awarded as damages against the complainant, Mr. Benjamin Joseph, for false and malicious petitioning and prosecution, and to serve as a deterrent against persons seeking to lodge false petitions with the investigative agencies. So, I am surprised to discover only recently that he is still going around sponsoring all manner of fake write-ups on the same case in which he has a subsisting judgment awarded against him.’’

    While stating that the contract in question was awarded as far back as 2012, Princess revealed that Mr. Ekeh was not involved in anyway and neither was his wife because the value of the contract wasn’t that much. She added that it was a business transaction between Citadel Oracle Concepts Ltd. which she was representing at the time and Technology Distributions Ltd., (TD Africa), one of the companies which Mr. Ekeh founded. Furthermore, she added that TD had indeed aided Citadel in executing the contract by extending an interest-free credit facility to it, without which it would have been extremely difficult to deliver as the banks were unwilling to fund the contract and Citadel was not financially strong to fund the business. Consequently, she stated that her conscience and integrity would not permit her to allow Benjamin to continue in his ongoing campaign, which she described as ‘a gross act of ingratitude and an attempt to arm-twist or blackmail Mr. Ekeh for no reason’.

    ‘‘I have kept a studied silence over the years in this case for obvious reasons. But I must confess that I was shocked to learn recently that this matter is still being reported actively in the media as if it happened today. For the benefit of those in the dark, I aided Benjamin Joseph for a while after he came to me in his time of difficulty in his business. I helped him bid for many contracts using my experience and contacts but when we won part of the FIRS contract, it was hard securing a bank loan to fund the business.

    ‘‘We approached TD like other vendors did. TD is the biggest authorized distributors of HP and other OEMs in the country. However, Benjamin’s company was rejected because Citadel Oracle Concepts Ltd. had no credit history with them. Mr. Onny Igbokwe, whose company, AD’MAS Digital Technologies Ltd, also through me got part of the same contract from FIRS had been a long-time trading partner of TD’s, agreed to guarantee Citadel for the credit facility after meeting with him (Benjamin) in Lagos. This was how we were able to get TD to fund the contract on our behalf, same as they did for other vendors who won similar lots for the FIRS contract.

    ‘‘Joseph gave me a duly signed letter of authority and a copy of his international passport and other corporate documents of his company, Citadel Oracle Concepts Limited, empowering me to act on his behalf in bidding for and executing the contract, and this letter was submitted to the FIRS. He also swore on oath in his Witness Statement on Oath in the civil case at Lagos High Court where he admitted this letter and other documents that he gave to me. His Statement on Oath is before the court, so he cannot deny it.

    ‘‘The account opened for the disbursement of the proceeds of the contract was also approved by him as he issued a duly signed Board resolution for it, which a forensic analysis report has confirmed was not forged. No official of TD was responsible for this. In order to safeguard their funds, however, TD insisted that two of its staff, Mr. Chris Ozims and Mrs. Shade Oyebode, would be signatories to the account. This was the only security held by TD for payment for the laptops supplied to Citadel on credit. We agreed to this and TD swiftly delivered all the laptops complete to the FIRS on our behalf. When the money for the contract was paid, TD duly deducted the pre-agreed sum for the laptops supplied on our behalf. This was when trouble started,’’ she stated.

    Revealing that Benjamin had wanted to divert the entire funds received, Princess disclosed that she resisted the move, placing her in the line of her erstwhile business partner’s fire.

    ‘‘I refused Joseph’s attempts to divert the funds because my integrity was at stake. Here was a company that supported us with an interest-free facility, despite having no prior business relationship with them and whom Joseph now wanted to cheat. Mind you, Mr. Igbokwe was also a guarantor for Citadel. Therefore, going along with Joseph’s plan would have hurt a lot of innocent persons. So, I resisted it.

    ‘‘This infuriated him and he demanded to take all the profits from the contract which I also resisted because we had a pre-agreed sharing percentage. Chief Afe Babalola, who represented him at the time, tried to intervene by asking me to concede a larger portion of the profit to him but Benjamin was greedy and wanted all. It was at this point that he turned around to claim that he was not aware of the contract, that his company was fraudulently used to execute the contract with a fake Board resolution, and that no single laptop was supplied. Why didn’t he report to the Police earlier if indeed a fraud was perpetrated on his company?”

    ‘‘He petitioned the Police Special Fraud Unit Lagos (SFU), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and later the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. But where he failed is when he accused Mr. Ekeh, his wife and other staff of TD of involvement in the alleged fraud. It was strange because neither Mr. Ekeh nor his wife had ever met or transacted any personal business with Citadel or Mr. Joseph or myself. TD is a very big company that I transacted with officers at the middle level. Our transaction value was small to influence our meeting Mrs. Ekeh. At this point, he started engaging some unscrupulous media persons to embark on a campaign of calumny against Mr. Ekeh, thinking that he will get Mr. Ekeh’s attention to pay more.  I am not sure who gave him the idea that Mr. Ekeh has a lot of money and could give more money just to have peace. But this failed.

    ‘‘Thankfully, all the investigations by the Police SFU and the EFCC proved that Benjamin was spreading falsehood as forensic analysis of the documents we used to bid for the contract showed that they were duly signed by him. Also, the FIRS confirmed that all the laptops were duly supplied. The investigations equally exonerated all the staff of TD and Mr. Ekeh, who was not even involved in any way with the transaction.  Sadly though, the EFCC charged me and Mr. Onny Igbokwe to court due to the internal issues we were having with Benjamin in Charge No. CR/244/2018 before the FCT High Court. However, after a full trial that lasted for more than two years, we were eventually discharged and acquitted in 2021, as earlier stated. The judgment of the court clearly dismissed all the allegations of Mr. Benjamin Joseph and awarded the sum of N20million as damages against him for false information. It is instructive to note that the staff of TD only testified as prosecution witnesses in that case. Neither the EFCC investigative report nor the judgment of the court indicted them in any way. The judgment is now a public document, so anyone is free to go and read it to know the truth of the matter.

    ‘‘It is sad that an innocent man who knew nothing about this transaction is being dragged into this matter, maybe with a view to destroy him. It is evident that Benjamin is most probably being backed by Mr. Ekeh’s competitors as he has no capacity for this. Their intention is to see Mr. Ekeh appear in court to rubbish his image. But to what ends? I consider it an insult that the founder of a company that funded a contract for us and many other bidders is being accused of fraudulently converting a paltry sum of N170m. This is clearly a case of biting the fingers that fed you and one of the reasons it is hard to get assistance in today’s business world.

    ‘‘I must also express my disappointment, especially when I read that Femi Falana took on the brief of defending Mr. Benjamin Joseph who is still facing another criminal trial on this same case, without even as much as an attempt to probe the facts or background. He can reach out to his fellow SAN, Chief Afe Babalola, for instance, to understand or verify the disagreement that led to this juncture.

    ‘‘As I said earlier, Mr. Benjamin Joseph reported this case to both the Police SFU and the EFCC. These are the only investigative agencies who investigated this case and the only places we made written statements. If he claims that the SFU Report and the EFCC Report indicted Mr. Ekeh and his wife and other staff of TD, let him obtain copies and make them public instead of making noise. How can the SFU report have indicted Mr. Ekeh or his wife or any staff of TD when it was the SFU Investigative Officer that testified against Mr. Benjamin Joseph in criminal case No. CR/216/16 that the Police brought against him for false information?

    ‘‘I am aware that he says he is relying on a certain report by a certain Special Enquiry Bureau of the Police to whom he wrote a petition in 2015. We were neither invited by the Special Enquiry Bureau nor did we make any statement to them. This is what he is carrying about as a report.  Let him present any letter of invitation from the Bureau to any of us, including Mr. Ekeh, his wife, and the staff of TD, or any statement any of us made to the Bureau. How can there be a report where the ‘suspects’ were neither invited nor made statements? What Benjamin Joseph is hiding from the public is that the Police Force Headquarters Abuja, by a subsequent comprehensive report dated 1st December 2020, discredited and disclaimed the so-called report of the Bureau as baseless and invalid, as it was based only on the statement of Mr. Joseph without hearing from the other parties.

    ‘‘The Police report of 1st December 2021 emphatically said that the only investigation and authentic report was the one done by the Police SFU at Lagos. I believe that it is this invalid and discredited report that Femi Falana used to apply for a fiat in May 2022, as they are claiming, and they also conveniently hid from the Attorney General the fact that there is a subsisting judgment of the FCT High Court that has dismissed the allegations of Mr. Benjamin Joseph. It was after these hidden facts were made available to the Attorney-General that he gave the Police a letter in June 2022 to rather continue the prosecution of Mr. Benjamin Joseph to a logical conclusion, thereby reversing himself on the fiat. So, I believe that Mr. Ekeh was right to say that there is no case pending against him or his wife or staff of TD or any of us. I know that since there is a judgment by a competent court dismissing as false the set of facts forming the allegation of Mr. Benjamin Joseph, those facts and allegation cannot be used again to try me or any other party mentioned in the allegation, as long as that judgment subsists. Whatever charge that is filed, based on those allegations, is dead on arrival. My lawyers are taking steps to strike it out. So, the fact that we are challenging it does not mean that anyone, including Mr. Ekeh, is defending the charge, as I hear Mr. Benjamin Joseph say in his press statement. It is only consequential that it be struck out since the basis of the fiat has been overtaken by events. 

    ‘‘Lastly, it is worthy to note that based on the letter of the Attorney-General to the Police to continue with the prosecution of Mr. Benjamin Joseph to a logical conclusion, his trial continues on 3rd November 2022 before Honourable Justice Peter Kekemeke of the FCT High Court. If he believes in his innocence, he should present his case in court and stop this media trial and hype. Why is he afraid to conclude his defense and be cross-examined after opening his defense for over two years but would rather be running to the press to curry undue public sympathy and tarnish innocent people’s image?’’ she queried.      

    ‘‘In all these, I am just a victim of someone who repays good with evil. Be that as it may, I will never be weary of doing good and I count it all joy.’’

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