Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has expressed deep sorrow over a gas explosion that claimed lives and destroyed properties worth several millions of naira, describing the incident as a sad memory in the life of the administration.

Governor Sanwo-Olu said the preliminary and final reports on the cause of the explosion suggested negligence on the part of the gas plant operators, noting that the government would take stiffer measures against operators of gas plants and/or any combustible items in the State to avoid future recurrence of such disaster.

He said: “The gas explosion this morning has left a sour taste in my mouth. It is a reminder of the dark episode of March this year at Abule Ado Soba when innocent lives were lost to gas explosions of monumental proportion and properties destroyed. I really can’t believe that we would witness another such incident, no matter how little.”

“I wish to therefore register my heartfelt condolences to the families of those that lost their loved ones in the fire. I pray that God grant their souls eternal rest.”

“The reports I got showed that the explosion could have been avoided if the operators of the gas plant had adhered to safety guidelines. Lives would have been saved and properties too would not have been affected.”

The Governor restated his administration’s commitment to safety of lives and properties of Lagosians by ensuring that operators follow strict regulations in the operations of gas plants.

On this note, the governor said, the Lagos State Safety Commission and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency have been notified of the next line of action.

The Governor commended the first responders who acted promptly on the distress call and worked very quickly to contain the fire by not allowing the ruins go beyond what we currently have.

Sanwo-Olu enjoined residents to always report any suspicious activities that may be harmful to the citizens in their neighbourhood to the appropriate State Government agencies for preventive measures to be taken.

The gas explosion occurred around 0600hrs. The gas emission has been identified and curtailed.

Post disaster assessment revealed by the Lagos State Emergency Agency include five Fatalities, eight casualties with major burns and who have been transferred to the Gbagada General Hospital Burns Unit, 25 houses damaged, 16 Shops Razed by the fire, 1 Private Primary School, 1 Hotel, 3 Vehicles affected comprising a pickup truck, tricycle and a motorcycle.

As economies around the world begin to implement recovery strategies from the shockwave of Coronavirus, the Lagos Economic Summit Group (LESG) is charting the path for the sustainable socio-economic development of Lagos State at the Lagos Economic Summit tagged ‘Ehingbeti 2020’ scheduled to hold from November 10 – 12, 2020.

Themed ‘For a Greater Lagos: Setting The Tone For The Next Decade’, Ehingbeti 2020 will provide a robust platform for deliberations on pragmatic optimisation of the inherent opportunities in Africa’s 5th largest economy and offer perspectives on how to manage the peculiar socio-economic landscape of the State in the coming decade. The three-day summit, which will be a hybrid of virtual and live events, will draw participation from various sectors of the economy and across the globe.

With the absence of the economic summit in the past four years, there seemed to be a decline in the rate of public-private collaboration in this State. This year’s summit is aimed at reconnecting with the private sector, which is the bedrock of the Lagos Economic Summit. The quest to strengthen the existing relationship between government and the private sector is one of the major goals of this summit since greater private sector participation in governance is a prerequisite for a functional State.

The Group has also refreshed the Ehingbeti logo to reflect the contemporary outlook of the annual summit without disconnecting from the economic heritage of the Marina and Broad Streets areas of Lagos, which served as the springboard for Nigerian and West African economic development since the European incursion in the 15th century.

Unveiling the new logo, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, Co-Chair of the ‘Ehingbeti 2020’ Steering Committee and former Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning & Budget said “this new Ehingbeti logo is an embodiment of meanings and expression of the LESG ideals. The convergence of colours in the logo connote the essence of Ehingbeti as a participatory forum for integrating local and international stakeholders to exchange ideas and chart a path for the socio-economic development of Lagos State”

“The bright star above the image of the iconic ‘Agba Meta’ is a depiction of the result of working together to deliver the stellar accomplishments that define the city-state of Lagos and the pervasive atmosphere of economic stability in the State. I am happy to let you know that the image of the ‘Agba Meta’ is a representation of the sculpted white cap chiefs built to welcome people into Lagos. The logo is to emphasise our pride in culture, as we welcome participants to Ehingbeti 2020 and beyond”, Mr. Cardoso stated.

Acknowledged as the first institutionalised economic forum by any State in Nigeria, Ehingbeti is a public-private sector roundtable that started as a collaborative effort between the Lagos State Government and Business Club Ikeja. Since the inaugural summit in 2000, the summit has gained useful insights from innumerable business and political leaders, private sector players, renowned economists, notable development experts and outstanding scholars, who have participated from various parts of the world.

Ehingbeti is an ingenuous socio-economic apparatus that has contributed significantly to the evolution of Lagos State into a major economy in sub-Saharan Africa and an admirable megacity, with expanding potentialities. The summit, hosted by successive administrations in Lagos State since the beginning of the 4th Republic, has consistently redefined the dynamics of public-private sector collaboration for development across social and economic indices in Lagos State.

“In the last two decades, Ehingbeti has played a pivotal role in the transformation of Lagos State, with useful inputs into Lagos State Development Plans (LSDP)”, said Sam Egube, the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, who is also a Co-chair of the Steering Committee.

“Our realities from 2000 when the first Ehingbeti, held exactly 20 years ago, have significantly changed. As a State, we now have to cater for the infrastructural needs of more than 22million population and ensure that Lagos remains on the path of continuous growth.”

“These considerations are the groundwork of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda, but translating the agenda to benefits for our people will require collaboration amongst stakeholders, and a determination to deepen the foundation for sustainable development and growth of our society. So, Ehingbeti 2020 offers us a platform to address all these”, Egube asserted.

LASG

ForAGreaterLagos

Popular Nigerian activist, Aisha Yesufu hasstirred up a debate on Twitter after sharing her opinion that the Igbo apprenticeship system have contributed to why many people from other tribes resent Igbos.

It is given that the age long Igbo apprenticeship system has produced a lot of multimillionaires of Igbo extraction to the wonder of many from other tribes.

The Igbo apprenticeship system allows a businessman take a young person to learn about his business and eventually get settled (given start-up capital) after an agreed period of time, which usually lasts between
5 to 7 years. During the service period, the younger person (servant) serves the businessman (master) while learning the business.

The Igbos have used the system to build themselves and relatives into renowned business men and women even whereapprentices have little, or no formal education.

A Twitter user had said:
“The Igbo’s apprenticeship program is the only ‘MBA’ class in the world that
teaches the real intricacies of running a business, the practical application of SWOT and PESTEL analysis. And when you graduate, they’ll give you seed capital to start the business. A system that works.”

In replying the tweet, Aisha Yesufu pointed out that “The Igbo apprenticeship is an amazing system and the reason Igbos are great in business.”

However, she went on to say that “Everything has it’s advantage and
disadvantage and that same system has also portrayed Igbos as clannish people who only employ their own people and never assimilate”

Her tweets opened up a debate as she went on to state that the apprenticeship system have contributed to Igbos been resented the same way Jews are resented.

She went on;
“These are my opinions and thoughts over the years and I might be completely wrong but this is how I see it. “There is a need to take a deliberate look at the Igbo apprenticeship system & begin to look at ways of inclusion. It can start with 5% inclusion of others When you always go to your village to bring those that will work for you how do you expect the people where you are to feel?

“Just like the Jews, Igbos are resented & I have always wondered why? Is it
because they are successful and can achieve anything from nothing? Is it the resilience? I concluded it is because it seems no matter how long they stay with you or you with them you are never one in biz.

“A situation where as a business person you only employ your people via the apprenticeship model & no matter how long you stay in a place you never employ the indigenes there except to load and off load. there will be resentment. More if it is not one off experience but the norm

“The Jews too have that trait. Family businesses. Helping each other grow in
business and capacity to gang up (if na one naira na one naira) on business
issues are common traits shared by both Igbos and Jews. The others feel like outsiders not allowed to share in the goodness.

“Systems are to be looked at and upgraded from time to time. It is also
important to look at how things are perceived by others. You don’t have to
change but just know this is how this action is seen by others

“In all the riots I witnessed as a child, I always say it is more economical than religion. Host community usually think it is the others that kept them
impoverished. They feel those monies would have been theirs if these people weren’t there. People don’t blame their lazy selves.”

The Igbo apprentice system, also known as Igbo trade apprentice system and commonly referred to as ′Igba-Odibo/Igba-Boi/Imu-Ahia/Imu-Oru′ is a framework of formal and informal indentured agreements between parties that ultimately facilitate burgeoning entrepreneurial communities within the Igbos-wikipedia

….

Posted by Taaj Anthony

“In all the riots I witnessed as a child, I always say it is more economical than religion. Host community usually think it is the others that kept them impoverished. They feel those monies would have been theirs if these people weren’t there. People don’t blame their lazy selves.”

The Senior Economic Adviser, Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has been invited to co-chair the upcoming ‘Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders 2020’ and scheduled to hold from November 9 to 11, 2020.

This was contained in a letter addressed to Ezekwesili, which was signed by the President of Women Political Leaders Global Forum, Silvana Koch-Mehrin and Chair of the Reykjavík Global Forum, Hanna Birna  Kristjansdottir.

“It is in this spirit of optimism that WPL would like to invite you to be part of this symbolic convening in the distinguished role of co-chair of the Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders 2020,” the letter read in part. 

It stated, “A fervent advocate against extremism, corruption and gender-based violence and a committed champion for issues of gender parity and the preservation of the rights of women and girls, your dedication to these important causes is exemplified in all your endeavours. 

“As an economic expert, with a distinguished career within the private sector and the public sector in Nigeria and internationally, you have always used your position of influence to advocate for society’s most vulnerable. You are a prime example of how powerful and committed leadership can and should create change not only for oneself but for the world, a premise that the Reykjavík Global Forum is built on. At the Reykjavík Global Forum, leaders like yourself are called upon to ‘Power Together’ and impart valuable knowledge and solutions to benefit our global society.”

According to the organisers, 2020 has been an important year for women’s leadership with several historic milestones to commemorate, in spite of hindrances to many important opportunities to advance progress for women leadership across the globe.

However, the Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders, launched in November 2018 and annually co-hosted in partnership with the Government and Parliament of Iceland, provides the unmatched opportunity for women leaders from around the globe and across the realms of business, politics, academia, arts and media to connect, confer and exchange best practices and solutions on how to sustainably advance the global society.

“The 2020 forum will be a multi-site event complemented by a digital gathering. On November 10, the main forum in Reykjavík will be connected to several simultaneous Reykjavík satellites, which are day-long gatherings of around 40 women leaders, respectively, indifferent locations across the globe. A digital platform, the Reykjavík Virtual Forum will also be available for those who cannot join in person,” the organisers said in the letter.

They noted that the co-chairs invited represent both the public and private sectors, international organisations, academia and science as well as civil society and social entrepreneurship.

“A balance of geographical representation is also a consideration. The role of the distinguished group of co-chairs is to act as ambassadors and advocates for the forum, its mission, community and initiatives as well as to advise on its activities, guaranteeing a multi-stakeholder approach to the programme and the positive influence of this conference,” they also said.

The co-chairs for 2018 and 2019 included Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland; José Manuel Barroso, Non-Executive Chairman of Goldman Sachs International and President of the European Commission (2004-2014); Mari Kiviniemi, Deputy Secretary General of the OECD (2014-2019) and Prime Minister of Finland (2010-2011); Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda and Chair of the African Union, among others.

We’ve all seen lists for things you need to be doing on social media – engage, listen, communicate, etc., right? Well I don’t know about you, but we are usually fed up by the vague information in such posts. How can you take action to begin “engaging?” What do you do before you engage?

At Social Fulcrum, we have a process for coming up with the social media campaigns that drive our clients wild. Instead of telling you to communicate or to listen, we want to give you some actionable tips you can use to jumpstart your social media strategy – TODAY.

1. Do Your Research
Look for communities, influencers, and discussions that relate to your brand, products, competitors, and industry. Look into how you could potentially target key audiences through different media. Don’t just limit yourself to Facebook pages/groups and Twitter users. Look into bloggers in your industry (or outside your industry) that have an audience you want to reach. Look at relevant Meetup groups locally and nationally. Find discussions in online forums. If you are a small company, find discussions about your industry. If you are a larger brand, we recommend using a social media measurement tool to assess the online landscape of your brand mentions to help formulate your strategy. These are all potential areas to generate content, seed content, find ambassadors, and get online placements. But you can only reap these benefits if you know where and if these communities exist!

2. Build Relationships First
When I was creating the strategy for a national food association’s social media marketing campaign, we knew we would want to promote their Facebook page, Twitter account, and video contest through influential bloggers in the cooking, foodie, and mom verticals. Instead of simply reaching out to those bloggers and asking them to promote our properties, we made sure to first build our relationship with these influencers. Our first communication to these bloggers was to offer promoting THEIR content to OUR audiences. We wanted to show that we were keeping in mind their goals (increasing readership), and not simply self-interested. We nurtured these relationships for months before letting them know that we had a contest that we were promoting. At that point, they had received so much benefit from the relationship that every single blogger was happy to promote our contest. And the association still has those relationships to this day!

3. Leverage Twitter Targeting Options
Too often businesses will create a Twitter account and then not know what to do with it. Once your profile is set up, you can use the following strategies to find your opportunities on Twitter:

The Real Truth About B2B Marketing And The Social Media Platforms You Need  | Social media apps, Social media icons free, Social media icons
  1. Search for accounts that have followers who are in your target audience. For example, if you are a local pizza chain, all you need to do is find another local business with a decent amount of followers, and follow all the followers of that account (gradually, not all at once). You can safely assume that a vast majority of the people following a local business in your area are located in that local area. Not a local business? Try trade publications, competitors, or thought leaders.
  2. Search for people tweeting about a need that your product/service alleviates. For example, in our campaign for the national food association we mentioned above, we found that people on Twitter were commonly complaining about a lack of ideas for what to eat. Armed with an online database of 700+ recipes, we reached out to these people and found out what type of food they liked, and sent them an appropriate recipe. This gained awareness for our client’s website, Twitter account, and recipe database, and also built goodwill with our audience (which we later leveraged to promote a video contest).
  3. Use the advanced search on Twitter to search bio information. This is especially useful for B2B companies looking to increase their social impact. People will typically list their job title in their bio (e.g. CMO, COO, CEO, Executive Director, Partner), allowing you to target the specific decision makers with whom you are trying to communicate.

4. Explore & Leverage Facebook Advertising
There are few businesses that can’t benefit from the precise, unique targeting available through Facebook’s advertising platform. Even B2B companies can find value in Facebook ads if you can get creative with the parameters. For example, Social Fulcrum used Facebook ads to grow our own Facebook page by targeting users who are over 40 years old and who “like” the Harvard Business Review, because this audience includes senior-level decision makers at mid to large size corporations. Facebook Advertising can be an effective method for driving traffic to a website, as well as for increasing the size of your Facebook fan base, for just a few dollars per day. The key is finding the right targeting parameters, which might include users who “like” a competitor, users who “like” something your target audience probably likes, or even users who have a birthday within the next week.

5. Create a Content Calendar
There’s nothing worse than a Facebook page or Twitter account that’s filled entirely with self-promoting updates. It’s not always easy to come up with awesome, engaging content every day, but tweeting another link to your website is not the answer. That’s why it helps to create a weekly or monthly content calendar in advance to help you think strategically about what to post and when, being sure to schedule promotional updates at a maximum of one time per week. Your social media channels are not a constantly updating advertisement for your business. If you aren’t sharing interesting content, asking questions, and making your fans and followers feel valued, they’ll soon wonder why they’re connected to your account in the first place.

These specific tips can help any business better utilize social media to achieve organizational objectives. Though only the beginning steps to a stellar social media campaign, these tips allow for architecting a social media strategy that leverages brand assets and social media tools to get your brand in front of the right people and ultimately, grow your business.


Andrew Krebs-Smith,  Social Fulcrum

With low level of fire insurance in Nigeria, the residents of Baruwa Area of Lagos State, an outskirt of Ikeja saw one of the biggest mayhem this year. This is as a result of fire outbreak and houses were burnt with many casualties and dead and still counting.

BREAKING: Another Fire Explosion Rocks Lagos | Sahara Reporters

Allegedly, the residents of the environs said that gas canisters and cylinders got exploded. This was as a result of either heat or someone masking call around the premises where cooking gas are being sold. Though the fire started in the midnight we can’t possibly say it was as a result of heat or sabotage or even negligence.

Property worth billions are being burnt with many houses according to the time of report are about fifteen. Residents are worried, petrified and confused… Though the Lagos State government has sent the fire department to come and put the inferno under control.

Five People Confirmed Dead As Gas Station Explodes In Baruwa Area Of Ipaja,  Lagos [Video] | Kanyi Daily

As of the time of this report, residents are seen evacuating their properties ann’s personal belongings and the state would cordon off the area for reoccurance.

Unlike the Western world where there are gas pipelines to homes for cooking, here in this part of the world, people go to street side to buy cooking gas they basically refill thee gas with little safety procedures and most times these highly inflammable products such as gas and patrol are sold in residential environment for nearness to customers and market.

Baruwa gas explosion in Lagos: Eight pipo die and several odas injure for  di fire incident - BBC News Pidgin

Anthony Emeka Nwosu

ScamJustice I.M. Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has convicted and sentenced Eric Nnamdi Obulo to one year imprisonment, for hacking the data base of Polaris Bank and defrauded the bank to the tune of $70, 000.00 (Seventy Thousand United States Dollars).

He was convicted on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after being re-arraigned by the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on one- count charge bordering on unlawful interception by technical means, into Polaris Bank’s data base and in the process, took possession of the sum of $70,000.00( Seventy Thousand United States Dollars).

The one-count charge read: “That you Eric Nnamdi Obulo, on or about July, 2019 in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did intercept by technical means the data base of Polaris Bank and in the process took possession of the sum of Seventy Thousand Dollars {$70, 000.00} into your Polaris Bank Account no. 2130049253 and thereby committed an Offense contrary to Section 12 (1) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention etc.) Act 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act”.

He pleaded guilty to the charge, when it was read to him. In view of his plea, prosecuting counsel, K. W Chukwuma-Eneh prayed the court to convict and sentence him accordingly, but defence counsel, D.E. Nowo, pleaded for leniency in view of the convict’s ” remorse and being a first- time offender who did not waste the precious time of the court” Justice Sani consequently convicted and sentenced Eric Nnamdi Obulo to one year imprisonment with an option of fine of N5, 000, 000.00( Five Million Naira only). Obulo ran into trouble when Polaris Bank filed a petition against him, with the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the EFCC on October 14, 2019.

The petitioner stated that, sometime in October, 2019, the bank’s database and core banking applications were manipulated by unknown fraudsters, resulting in the crediting of six accounts belonging to the convict with a total sum of Seventy Thousand United States Dollars.

EFCC

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has assured Nigerians of Federal Government’s commitment to deliver a better urban future despite the prevailing challenges within the housing sector.

He made the statement at the virtual commemoration of the 2020 World Habitat Day (WHD) celebration held on Monday at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja with the theme: ”Housing for all: A better Urban Future.”

Mr. Fashola acknowledged the adverse effect the Coronavirus pandemic had made on an already difficult situation, but he reeled out activities set out to improve access to affordable housing, mobility, sanitation, jobs and socio economic opportunities despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

He said the approach for implementing this was multifaceted “from house refurbishment loans to mortgages with reduced service conditions, direct housing construction, improved speed of titling and Issuance of documents with plans underway to unlock unused properties as well as accelerate advocacy for reduced rent demands”.

He also emphasized that a people-centred approach was key to addressing housing issues which would be the basis for character shape and socio-economic vibrancy of cities, as it is in all the urban centres around the world.

The Honourable Minister said the Federal Government was committed to delivering “Housing that is obtainable, healthy, inclusive and adequate, safe and affordable as this was the key to sustainable and transformation of societies and communities.”

He further disclosed that to relieve citizens from economic challenges,  President Muhammadu Buhari has initiated the development of an Economic Sustainability Plan of 2.3 Trillion naira to improve payroll support, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Collateral Fund, Loan re-strengthening for businesses, industries support and agricultural support to mention but a few.

He gave assurances of his obligation to the realisation of the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan and hoped to strengthen partnership with the private sector and other government agencies at all levels to effectively deliver on the mandate.

Speaking earlier the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr. Ernest Umakhihe in his welcome address said the World Habitat Day was established in 1985 by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 40/202 of 17th December, 1985 and was first celebrated in 1986.

He said first Monday of every October was recognised as World Habitat Day, a day set aside to focus on the state of human settlements and the basic rights for all for adequate shelter and to remind all that we are responsible for the habitat of the present and future generations.

Mr. Umakhihe said the celebration would wrap up with the observance of the World Cities Day on 31st of October 2020 with the Focal Theme: Better Cities, Better Life and a Sub-Theme:  Valuing Our Communities and Cities. The central celebration was going on in Surabaya, Indonesia, he added.

He was certain that during the dialogue session, the well selected resource persons would deal extensively on affordable housing delivery and urban development as economic revival strategies in the COVID19 era in Nigeria, initiate innovative and transformative actions to seek pragmatic solutions to overcome them. He was optimistic that we could build a better life and a better future for all Nigerians.

The high points were the different presentations on:Towards A Sustainable Housing Delivery:Optimizing The Opportunities; Providing Affordable Housing In Cities; The Role Of Partnerships, Advocacy And Community Mobilization; And Financing Options For Affordable Housing Delivery In Africaamong others.



Boade Akinola
Director (Press & Public Relations Unit)

While traditional retailers are flocking online, entrepreneurs are making their business start through e-Commerce ventures. As an industry that was already on a growth trajectory, digital platforms provider, Ocean on 76 Group, says that post-Covid trends are predicting a sharp incline in e-Commerce-related businesses.

Prins Mhlanga, CEO, Ocean on 76 Group says: “e-Commerce has become more of an essential service than ever before since lockdown regulations were eased for the sector. Through our courier aggregator business, Rush, we are seeing the uptake, evolution and most importantly, the need for flexible and convenient courier services.”

Mike Farquharson, Managing Director of Rush Couriers says that fuelling this growth is the surge of new e-Commerce stores and emerging SME players: “Those companies adopting a digital-first strategy are on the rise, while existing businesses are pivoting to sell more relevant products to stimulate sales.”

Rush is a uniquely positioned online courier aggregation platform that can seamlessly meet the evolving delivery requirements of smaller businesses, according to Farquharson. It’s well-developed technology platform requires no paperwork or agreements to open an account and allows a new user to register and start shipping in under five minutes: “Being an online courier aggregation platform means that we are able to negotiate bulk rates with many of the established courier companies. This is of major benefit to smaller businesses or online stores, who have little bargaining power with couriers due to their relatively low individual volumes. The prepaid option offered by Rush means that credit checks and accounts are no longer needed. The courier companies benefit from the consolidated bulk orders received via a single source, received with little credit risk.

While online sales are only 1.4% of traditional retail spend, Farquharson says the sector has seen year-on-year growth of 24% in e-Commerce sales: “We believe that the growth in e-Commerce will continue for some time as online stores become cheaper and easier to build.”

He says that Rush has an exciting roadmap including the launch of a range of plugin stores: “To assist in making the delivery process more successful, we believe that full automation of the fulfilment and delivery process for store owners is essential. We are currently in a development phase and look forward to offering another unique offering to the market,” says Farquharson.

Technology is undoubtedly levelling this playing field and allowing small or niche online businesses to compete on a more even footing. Farquharson says that a service like Rush’s enables them to offer the efficient delivery of goods, while new payment systems will allow them to trade efficiently and securely. The rollout of 5G technology will also play its part in giving this sector the much-needed boost it needs after lockdown.”

“We continue to invest in our robust ecosystem to offer smaller retailers the support they need for both orders and deliveries. Reducing the friction for many small online stores that benefit from a simple, seamless courier service is our primary objective. Anyone can now easily send a parcel anywhere in the country, with the app suggesting the lowest cost options,” says Farquharson.

The need to be innovative as a nation has become imperative, this has made countries like Nigeria that are mono economy (crude oil based) nations to think of diversifying the economy to other areas such as agriculture and more importantly information and communication technology which Nigerian Communication Commission has been piloting and building a robust telecommunication ecosystem. Economic pun

Innovation has become so imperative that as the world is tilting towards the 4th Industrial Revolution which would be powered by innovation, capacity building, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, the need to be futuristic and get prepared for the future has mandated government agencies to tinker and prepare for the future. Having noted this, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC highlighted the need and what the commission has been doing to ensure that the country gets prepared for this, #

Speaking on the importance of telecommunication as an enabler and driver for the future, Danbatta said” The Commission, in continuing with its long-standing tradition of being a proactive regulatory approach, introduced policies and initiatives aimed at promoting the provision of efficient, available, affordable and easily accessible communications services throughout Nigeria. A proactive step taken by the Commission was the partnership with necessary stakeholders across the three tiers of government to collectively address challenges such as vandalism, multiple taxation & regulation, high cost of Right of Way (RoW), among others, which have been impeding speedy infrastructure deployment across the country.”

“For innovation to thrive as the anchor for accelerating economic growth post COVID-19, a robust broadband infrastructure upon which ICT innovations will ride, is a necessity and an urgent one at that. During my first term in office, we placed emphasis on broadband to drive innovation, and hopes to take broadband penetration to 70% by 2025 in line with the new target in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NBBP), 2020-2025. Through effective regulatory efforts, the NCC has been able to deepen connectivity in the country. Under my stewardship at the Commission, we realized that infrastructure gaps existed around the country impairing networks performance, and leading to poor quality of service. With the steady increase in telecom subscribers, the Commission decided that a robust telecom/ICT infrastructure was needed to meet up with growing demands for improved Quality of Service. It became imperative for us at the Commission to introduce drastic measures at ensuring Nigerians receive value for money. “

“We intensified our focus on the established key performance indicators (KPIs) for quality of service by instituting a regime of rigorous and continuous monitoring of the networks to ensure that they operate in tandem with set parameters. In the long term, the Commission’s initiative to license Infrastructure Companies (INFRACOs) to bridge existing gaps will further improve not only broadband penetration but the quality of broadband experience. Today we have six (6) licensed INFRACOs, one in each geo-political zone of the country, with Lagos State receiving special status because of its commercial centrality to the country. The seventh license for the North-Central region is being processed”, Danbatta opined.

He also added that “On the InfraCos, the Commission is in the process of finalizing the six Infracos Counterpart Funding Agreement to galvanize the full rollout of broadband infrastructure on an Open Access Model (OAM) aimed at enhancing digital transformation and this will ensure there is Point of Access in each of the 774 local governments in the country. The result of this initiative is that apart from meeting and surpassing the 30 percent broadband penetration in December, 2018, in line with the NBP 2013-2018 target, NCC increased broadband penetration from less than 6 percent in 2015 to 43.30 percent by August 2020. This translates to 82, 653,247 broadband subscriptions in the country as of August, 2020. These measures have been very instrumental to the emergence and survival of SMEs that have had to ride on the backbone of telecoms infrastructure during this pandemic.”

The NCC EVC added that there have been collaborative efforts between the commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria, this has increased the preponderance of digital banking and also made banking seamless and easier.

He said” Collaborative partnership between the NCC and the CBN has been very effective, leading to the development of various brands of electronic transaction models, which have totally reformed banking in Nigeria making it possible for instant cash transfers to folks in rural areas cutting out waiting times at banking halls and simplifying online transactions. Between 2015 and 2020, much has been done to put Nigeria on the global map of nations that are electronically driven while delivering financial intermediation. Together with our stakeholders from the banking sector, the NCC is actively involved in the application of various electronic portals that continue to drive transactions off banking floor and onto handheld devices or personal computers. The NCC, through its interventions, has continued to lift the Nigerian economy and create momentum and hope for financial inclusion based on the seamless implementation of the Commission’s Strategic Vision Plan.”

On the eHealth, the commission has made tremendous strides especially in the areas of Fight against Covid 19. “It is pertinent, at this juncture, to note that NCC’s Emergency Communication Centers (ECC) have been crucial in the Federal Government’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 1,209 COVID-19-related calls made between March and June 2020 from the nineteen (19) ECCs across the country. The establishment of the ECCs by the Commission across the nation was borne out of the need to safeguard all Nigerians irrespective of their geographical locations.The Nigerian Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health, has been putting measures in place to ensure the Coronavirus disease is controlled and quickly contained. Nigeria’s multi-sectoral Coronavirus Preparedness Group led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) activated its national Emergency Operations Centre and swiftly swung into action with State governments to contain the spread of the outbreak around the country” Danbatta concluded.

ANTHONY EMEKA NWOSU

Under my stewardship at the Commission, we realized that infrastructure gaps existed around the country impairing networks performance, and leading to poor quality of service. With the steady increase in telecom subscribers, the Commission decided that a robust telecom/ICT infrastructure was needed to meet up with growing demands for improved Quality of Service. It became imperative for us at the Commission to introduce drastic measures at ensuring Nigerians receive value for money.