Inlaks, an indigenous information technology with emphasis on bespoke software Solutions for organisations was recently recognized by Businessday and Nigerian Stock Exchange at the recently held Next Bull awards. This is a testament and confidence the public has shown on them for their contribution into the country’s IT ecosystem.
Speaking on the award,the Chief Executive Officer of Inlaks,Femi Adeoti said “I am deeply honoured and grateful for receiving the Next Bulls award from Businessday and Nigerian Stock Exchange. Our collective efforts has resulted to us getting this award. It is therefore an achievement to each team member. “
Inlaks is an Information Technology Company that offers core banking, fraud management, cybersecurity, cloud, data center, enterprise risk solutions.
Established in 1982, Inlaks is an Information Technology Systems Integrator specialized in the deployment of dynamic and highly scalable ICT Infrastructure Solutions. Our customers cut across various segments including Banking, Telecommunication, Oil/Gas, Power, Utilities and the Distribution sectors of the economy.
Members of Young Innovators of Nigeria, an umbrella body that coordinate the activities of young Nigerians who are blazing the trails by providing IT solutions in country have been enjoined to key into various National information Technology Development Agency’s (NITDA) programs in order to get the necessary supports and patronages for their solutions.
This advice is handed down to them by the NITDA Director General, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE when the members of the organisation paid him a congratulatory visit today at the Agency Corporate Headquarter, Abuja.
Mallam Abdullahi stated that NITDA is not oblivious of the challenges facing start-ups in the country but “a lot is being done to provide a level playing field for the startups to compete favourably with the established organisations.”
“I know the procurement law is not favourable to the startups but the outbreak of COVID 19 has changed the narrative because some of the big companies too are affected by the pandemic. I want challenge you to take the advantage because the pandemic has given you opportunity to grow with the big company,” he counseled.
While assuring them of the commitment of the Agency to protect the startups, the DG affirmed that the Agency is interested in formulating policies that will protect them. “We are focused to build a startups nation where innovative ideas and solutions provided by the youths are given high premium and introduce to government agencies.
The DG however advised them to key into programs like National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture and innovative challenges that the agency is planning to commence every quarter.
Earlier, the President of the YIN, Mr. Muyiwa Ajiboye said the organisation was at the Agency to felicitate with Mallam Abdullahi over his achievements in the short time at the saddle of the affairs in the Agency.
He said, “We came to officially congratulate and bring you a news of good tiding that we are not unaware of what you have achieved in this short time in the saddle of affairs at Agency. Your impact has been felt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Mr. Ajiboye disclosed that “a lot is going on out there to complement what NITDA is doing to place the nation among comity of countries that are developing their economies through digital skills. He assured the DG that his members would continue to come up with solutions that can impact on the economy positively.
The regular bi-annual meeting of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Senior Executives of telecommunication companies on complaints management held recently, and for the first time virtually, in compliance with COVID-19 management protocols instituted by the Federal Government.
At the meeting, which focused on consumer relations and complaint management processes, the NCC and the telecom service providers agreed that the compensation policy should be revisited and complied with at all times. This is to ensure full compliance with the new Complaint Categories and Service Level Agreement (CC/SLA) consented to by the NCC and the service providers in the telecommunication ecosystem.
Additionally, it was decided that the Commission and telecom service providers will hold follow-up discussions on “Fair Usage Policy” on unlimited data bundles/data rollover, in order to provide a clearer explanation and better understanding of the processes and procedures of the policy for the benefit of the consumers.
The Commission hereby wishes to restate that its direction of June 2018 to service providers to commence implementation of data rollover from 26 June 2018, remains in force. In other words, a subscriber’s unused data must be rolled over to his/her subsequent data subscription. Therefore, the Commission urges service providers to continue to inform and educate subscribers on the procedures and processes for data rollover.
Service providers also agreed to ensure that senior-level customer relations officers support their respective complaints management teams, to resolve complaints that were not resolved to the satisfaction of the consumers when such complaints were first reported. The service providers also promised to ensure that complaints are resolved in both the letter and spirit of the recently-reviewed Service Level Agreement (SLA).
With respect to services subscribed to through third parties (such as banks), which are not rendered, the meeting resolved that telecom service providers should explore initiating service level agreement with banks to ensure uniformity and speed in the resolution of complaints relating to billing.
All parties to the meeting equally agreed that telecom service providers will carry out pervasive consumer education and enlightenment campaigns about their products and services to ensure their subscribers have the information they require to make informed decisions and get value for money spent.
The commission wishes to state that it was very pleased with the impressive attendance, participation, and the quality of decisions taken at the bi-annual meeting. The NCC is, therefore, determined to continue to work closely with the service providers and other stakeholders in the Nigerian telecom sector in order to improve on the quality of service, and by implication, the quality of consumer experience.
The bi-annual meeting, which has held regularly since 2018, focuses on ensuring improvement in Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) in the telecom industry. It has served as a veritable platform for the Commission and service providers to discuss and agree on measures that will enhance prompt and effective consumer complaint resolution in telecom service provision in Nigeria.
Signed:
Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde
Service providers also agreed to ensure that senior-level customer relations officers support their respective complaints management teams, to resolve complaints that were not resolved to the satisfaction of the consumers when such complaints were first report
The United States is a steadfast supporter of Nigerian democracy. We commend all those Nigerians who participated in elections throughout 2019 and have worked to strengthen Nigerian democratic institutions and processes. We remain committed to working together to advance democracy and respect for human rights and achieve greater peace and prosperity for both our nations. We condemn the acts of violence, intimidation, or corruption that harmed Nigerians and undermined the democratic process. As the Edo and Ondo State off-cycle elections near, we urge all stakeholders, including the Independent National Electoral Commission, the political parties, and the security services, to uphold the tenets of democracy and facilitate genuinely free and fair elections, conducted in an appropriately transparent and non-violent manner.
In a statement on January 24, 2019, the U.S. Government said we would consider consequences – including visa restrictions – for individuals responsible for undermining the Nigerian democratic process or for organizing election-related violence. In July 2019, we announced the imposition of visa restrictions on Nigerians who undermined the February and March 2019 elections. Today, the Secretary of State is imposing additional visa restrictions on individuals for their actions surrounding the November 2019 Kogi and Bayelsa State elections and in the run up to the September and October 2020 Edo and Ondo State elections. These individuals have so far operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and have undermined democratic principles.
The Department of State emphasizes that the actions announced today are specific to certain individuals and not directed at the Nigerian people. This decision reflects the Department of State’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to realize its expressed commitment to end corruption and strengthen democracy, accountability, and respect for human rights.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Georgina Ehuriah-Arisa will launch her autobiography, On Merit, on 17th September, 2020 in Abuja.
Ehuriah-Arisa joined the Civil Service in 1984 and steadily rose through the ranks. On Merit offers an insight into the Federal Civil Service – its very heart and soul, reforms, what it takes to climb, and survive the tortuous corporate ladder and how to expand one’s capabilities along the way to the top.
In On Merit, Ehuriah-Arisa also writes about her early life, being a child living through the Civil War, its aftermath and the relationship and financial challenges she had to deal with.
“Writing a book that puts my life out there has required a special kind of courage, but it is my act of giving back to a system that gave me the privilege to serve and rewarded me for that service. I have always prided myself on the fact that the single most important factor that drives my actions is courage,” she says.
It was this courage that made her run into a burning building to retrieve important work documents that would otherwise have been destroyed during the fire that engulfed the Independence Building which housed the Ministry of Defence and Armed Services Headquarters in 1993.
“Georgina Ehuriah-Arisa, embodies all the qualities I have been urging both the male and female staff of the Federal Civil Service to embrace,” former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Engr. Ebele Ofunneamaka Okeke (CFR) says of the author. “She made a lot of sacrifices to build herself up to meet the challenges that would crop up in modern Civil Service. She read for long hours, kept late nights, attacked all the tasks that appeared on her desks wherever tour of duty took her with all her might, and the result is the content of this book,” she added.
Ehuriah-Arisa is one of Nigeria’s most highly decorated Civil Servants, having received the National Honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON), the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) Award and the Presidential Civil Service Merit Award in addition to other institutional and ministerial awards.
The book launch which will be held in Abuja will be attended by past and current Civil Service stalwarts, journalists, and a cross-section of Nigerians from the academia and professional communities.
On Merit will be available in bookstores in Nigeria from 15th October, 2020.
The Ministry of Mines and Steel Development in its bid to ensure the sector achieve its mandate of diversifying the economy from crude oil, is seeking deeper partnership with Bauchi State for efficient and effective mining for the growth of the economy.
The Minister of State Mines and Steel Development Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah (Dr) stated this during a courtesy visit to the Governor of Bauchi State, Sen. Bala Mohammed recently.
Dr Ogah stated that the visit was to sensitize the State of the numerous benefits it stands to gain, if operators in the State abide by mining guidelines and pay the royalties due to the Federal Government, stating that with the abundance of Minerals yet to be harnessed, the state could be the hub of mining in the country.
He reiterated Federal Government’s 13% derivative for States monthly from mining, adding that the more revenue generated by States, determines the accruals it would receive from the Federation Account Allocation Committee.
The Minister sought Bauchi State Government’s collaboration in carrying out adequate enlightenment and sensitisation campaign, to prevent illegal operation of local and foreign miners who pine away the State’s wealth. He urged the State to ensure improved communication and information sharing, with the Ministry as well as joint security surveillance against banditry.
He assured the Governor of the Ministry’s continuous support to ensure increased mining operations in the State. Adding that a good relationship between Operators and the Communities would bring employment and create wealth for the community as well as attract huge impart of investments.
Speaking at the event, the Governor of Bauchi State, Sen. Bala Mohammed emphasized the State’s abundant endowment of mineral resources, which if properly harnessed could sustain the country.
He further expressed willingness to partner with the Ministry to expand mining activities in State, to increase revenue generation for the benefit of Bauchi people, and recalled that the first mining site in the country was located in Bauchi State, and therefore, should be the leading State in mining.
The Governor emphasized the importance of community engagement that would aid in avoiding disputes, between communities and investors which will in turn create an enabling environment for genuine investors.
In a related development, the Hon. Minister, during a visit to the District Head of Rishi in Toro Local Government Area of the State, and inspection of some mining factories in the Community, encouraged citizens to establish and ensure good relationship between them and Mining Companies in the community.
The District Head of Rishi, Abdullaziz Umar Zaku (Alh.), disclosed that the town has a history of mining dating back to 1929, and that the community has many resources, including red and white zinc among.others . He appealed that a Natural Resource School be established in the community, as it has abundance of natural resources as well as various mining sites and companies.
Tine-Iulun M. A For: Director (Press & Public Relations Unit)
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described the coming into being of modular refineries in the country as the result of the enabling environment created by the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Minister stated this in Ibigwe in Ohaji Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State on Tuesday during a media tour of the Waltersmith Modular Refinery and Petro-Chemical Company Limited, which is due for commissioning next month.
Waltersmith Modular Refinery and Petro-Chemical Company Limited in Ibigwe in Ohaji Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State
“We can show Nigerians that while every government has been talking about modular refineries, no government has succeeded in turning the dream into reality until now,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed said with the coming on board of medium scale refineries like Waltersmith, Nigerians will soon experience cheaper petroleum products.
“With this kind of refinery, all issues of subsidy become completely irrelevant because we would be able to get fuel at a cheaper price, especially because everything that is being produced will be for local consumption,” he said.
The Minister lauded the partnership between the Waltersmith Refinery and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board that holds a 30% stake in the refinery, which will start with 5,000bpd, add 25,000bpd in the second stage and then another 20,000bpd to bring the capacity to 50,000bpd in the third and final phase.
He said the Administration will continue to showcase its monumental achievements because it has performed well in the execution of projects across the country.
“I am glad we are here today blowing our trumpet because we have created an enabling environment for this project,” he said, after he and his entourage, as well as Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and some members of the National Assembly, were taken on a tour of the refinery, one of many of its type that are in different stages of completion in the country.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Mr. Simbi Wabote, said the Board believes that at least 10% of Nigeria’s oil production should be refined through the modular refineries, because of its capacity to generate employment.
“With an average of ten direct jobs created for every 1,000 barrels per day capacity of a modular refinery, we believe that about 2,500 direct jobs and over 25,000 indirect jobs can be created if 10% of Nigeria’s production is refined using modular refineries,” he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Waltersmith Modular Refinery and Petro-Chemical Company Limited, Mr. Abdulrazaq Isa, said from 14 October, 2020, 23 trucks will commence the loading of products such as Diesel, Kerosene, Heavy Fuel Oil and Naphtha from the refinery.
“What we are doing is in support of government initiative and this is coming at the right time as the government is deregulating the market,” he said. ”We really support the government policy on deregulation and removal of subsidies because it creates a market for what we are doing.”
The Minister and Governor Uzodinma, as well as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and National Communication, Senator Danladi Sankara; Chairman, House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Value, Mr. Olusegun Odebunmi, and over 30 journalists were conducted round the production facilities of the refinery by the Chairman, Mr. Isa.
The dialogue between the Federal Government and Organized Labour on the recent increases in the price of fuel and electricity tariff has been adjourned to a later date. This is to allow the parties consult and streamline their positions for the overall interest of the public and the economy.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige (Dr.), stated that the dialogue was “to consider the state of the economy and events that has necessitated recent increases in electricity tariff and the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).”Adding that the meeting, was hinged on Federal Government’s desire for Nigerians, to show unity of purpose in the quest for solutions to the Socio-Economic challenges induced by COVID-19.
“Our society is undergoing socio-economic transition due to upheavals caused by COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected price stability and major means of production. It has therefore become very cogent that we gather as one entity in unity and understanding to forge a social pact or social concertation to enable us reconcile our economic growth and realize a sustainable development built on social cohesion”, he stated.
Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, SAN, stated that the Federal Government’s policy directions had always been propelled by the desire to bring succor to the very vulnerable in the society. He stated that the dialogue was to enlighten and engage Labour, on the reason behind the recent increases in price of PMS and electricity tariff.
The concern of the Organized Labour was centred on the negative impact of Government policies on increases in price on the socio-economic well-being of Nigerian workers, as well as the citizens in the lowest rung of the economic ladder.
The Unions argued that for the Nigerian workers, the increases had effectively eroded the value of the new national minimum wage, stating their readiness to partner with government in fashioning out solutions to the challenges created by COVID-19. The Organised Labour sought to know the strategies Government had put in place to counteract the negative effects of these policies on the common man.
The Organized Labour urged Government to always involve them in policy formulation, and at all times consider the challenges posed by its policy pronouncements.
The presentations by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), James A. Momoh on the reasons behind the policies are expected to guide the Organized Labour in properly understanding the push for the policies.
At the dialogue on the government side were Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman; Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono; Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari; Executive Secretary, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, Abdulkadir Saidu; representative of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Infrastructure, among others.
On the Organized Labour side were President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba; President, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Quadri Olaleye; President, United Labour Congress (ULC), Comrade Joe Ajaero; Executive officers from Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), among other labour unions.
The need for organizations in the country to protect their critical data and information Technology (IT) architecture has become imperative in order to avoid several types of breaches. Being in the business agility and cyber security ecosystem, FPG Technologies & Solutions Limited (a member of FlexiP Group), your go-to partner for practical digital transformation (DX) consulting services and technologies, business insights and productivity solutions recently became a reseller of Accuras, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) based information technology company focused in building software solutions that large enterprises have to depend upon day to day, hour to hour. This partnership has been lauded by industry watchers as very timely and a demonstration of global organizations confidence in Nigerian IT firms which FPG Technologies represent.
Being the sole distributor and implementer of Delphix products in Turkey, Middle East and Africa; Accuras now extends its solutions and services delivery capability to Nigeria and West Africa with this new partnership with FPG Technologies.
With a combined expertise of the two technology companies, they would be able to deliver transformational DataOps, Data Management, Data Protection and Data Governance capabilities to large enterprises, including Finance and telecommunications companies in Nigeria and West Africa region.
Every company is a DATA COMPANY or is in the process of becoming one and Delphix gives data stakeholder teams self-service access to personal, production-quality, data environments that enable them to accelerate innovation and significantly reduce data compliance risks. This solution improves the speed of access to test and analytical data. This allows businesses to off-load production systems for analytical purposes and accelerates the software development lifecycle.
Delphix accelerates innovation by rapidly delivering secure enterprise data anywhere and ensures that non-production data is as secure and compliant as production data. Over 40% of the worlds Fortune 100 companies use Delphix to drive innovation and digital success.
Speaking of the partnership, Rex Mafiana, CEO of FPG Technologies said, “this partnership further shows our commitment and strengthens our portfolio in our bid to help our customers in their digital transformation journey, from a company that may be maximizing their Data to one that surely does. Your organization’s ability to virtualize it’s data securely is a measure of your digital transformation maturity as it enables you to unleash innovation and truly weaponize your Data for efficiency and the bottom-line”.
“We have been passionate about the transformational change delivered by Delphix solution since signing as a reseller in 2016, in 2018 we have extended our partnership as a distributor to Middle East and Africa region. We have brought the DataOps and Data Protection message to Turkey, Middle East and Africa. Today we are extremely excited that we will bring transformational data capabilities to our clients in Nigeria and West Africa by partnering with FPG technologies. We are very impressed by the success that FPG Technologies achieved in the region so far and we are totally sure that we the right alignment with FPG Technologies to combine our expertise together in order to do what we do best”,Ercan Eray, Accuras’ Chief Executive Officer added.
Sent in by
Anthony Nwosu
“this partnership further shows our commitment and strengthens our portfolio in our bid to help our customers in their digital transformation journey, from a company that may be maximizing their Data to one that surely does…”
While South Africa and the rest of the continent are slightly behind the Cloud curve, Andrew Cruise, managing director of Routed, says there is opportunity aplenty during this period of digital transformation where Cloud migration is on everyone’s lips.
“Specialist expertise like ours however is much harder to come by. We partner with service providers, typically MSPs and ISPs/Telcos, and SaaS and PaaS providers. Our providers resell our Cloud as the foundation for value added managed services or connectivity services and usually host their internal applications on our platform too.”
Cruise adds it used to be the case that local South African internet infrastructure simply wasn’t up to the task of meaningful Cloud uptake, but now the country is well positioned to be a digital services hub for Africa. “Fast, reliable, cheap Internet (i.e. fibre) is a necessary and a sufficient condition for successful Cloud business strategies. We need good Internet for Cloud to be an option, and once it’s an option it becomes a no-brainer.”
Today, with vastly improved connectivity, there is no obstacle, apart from outmoded ways of thinking, to utilising Cloud for almost any workload. “It would be nice if South Africans in general can be persuaded to buy local. The presence of the hyperscalers like Azure and AWS is a blessing and a curse: their marketing machines promote Cloud as an option, but immature thinking also persuades some that there are no other genuine alternatives like Routed.”
“Local businesses like ourselves need to be encouraged and promoted so that the Cloud landscape is not dominated by large faceless global giants.” Cruise says the corollary challenge of businesses’ legacy approach will still take some time to overcome. “Generally, a more educated public is a benefit to us, as we are not trying to be the silver bullet which fixes every Cloud problem but do want our use cases to be promoted more widely.”
