24032021 - Insecurity threatens 2023 elections, Ortom tells Buhari

22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2021
Why Nigeria needs 2% of GDP for research, innovation
By Emmanuel Elebeke
Minister of External Affairs,
Geofrey Onyeama has said
that the country needs to set aside
two per cent of its Gross Domestic
Product, GDP for research and
innovation, if it must continue to
get recognition in the global
market.
He said setting such amount
aside would position the country
for real development and
guarantee production of
problem-solving solutions such as
COVID-19 vaccines which
Nigeria clearly relies on other
countries for supply.
Onyeama spoke at the justconcluded
2021 Technology and
Innovation Expo in Abuja.
He, however, commended the
Minister of Science and
Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu,
for the passion and commitment
he is showing on science and
technology.
Onyeama said: “If you look at
all the developed and
industrialised countries of the
world, there is one common
factor;- emphasis on investments
on science and technology and
innovation.
“Today, no society can prosper
and grow without science and
innovation; we have to put in
more into our research,
innovation and an enabling
environment for our research and
innovation. It is important that the
country should set aside at least
two per cent of its GDP for
research and innovation.
“We have a global pandemic and
we need vaccines and vaccination
and one of these things is that
countries that have invested on
research and development and
innovation are the ones producing
the vaccines and we that have not
invested resources on science,
technology and innovation are
now sitting down waiting for those
countries to provide us with
vaccines to keep our people alive.
“If there is anything that
suggests that we know the
importance of research and
development, it is this challenge
of COVID-19 that we are in
now.”
Responding to the challenge,
Minister of Science and
Technology, Dr Onu charged
investors to take advantage of
research findings displayed at the
Expo to create jobs, wealth for
citizens and for the entire nation.
DIGITAL SWITCH OVER:
Lagos ready to go
digital —NBC
•Hails StarTimes’ roles towards feat
By Prince Osuagwu,
Hi-Tech Editor
Lagos State is exiting the
analogue broadcasting April
29. From that day, broadcast
signals will switch to digital and the
nation will have successfully put the
right steps to the second phase of
the national digital switch over
project. It is expected to terminate
sometime in 2022.
The journey practically began in
2016 with the pilot rollout in Jos.
And a few years after, the country
announced a phase two to the
project. Although financial and
technical issues have not allowed
the phase to take shape until now,
the Director-General of the
National Broadcasting
Commission, NBC, Prof Armstrong
Idachaba says everything is now in
place to hit the ground running. In
addition to other supports, Idachaba
said the Federal Government has
released about N9.4billion to drive
the project.
Under phase two, Lagos, Port
Harcourt and other cities will be
switched on to digital TV and in
preparation to that, the NBC came
on an inspection tour of facilities
necessary to give Lagos a drive to
the digital broadcasting.
Interestingly, Idachaba who led
the NBC team confessed that Lagos
was ready to go digital based on
what is on ground.
The inspection which began with
a tour of digital transmitters at NTA
Station, Channel 10, Tejuosho, left
the NBC team in awe. After the tour,
Idachaba said: “Nigeria has taken
a decision to continue with the
transition from analogue to digital
broadcasting. This visit is in
furtherance of this objective. We are
glad that ITS Ltd has already
installed DVB2 technology. We have
seen that the installed capacity for
DTT transmission is very high. I
acknowledge the role of their
partners, StarTimes, and I think,
between NTA and StarTimes, there
is a great combined effort to ensure
that the rollout happens in Lagos
and other cities in Nigeria quickly.
“This inspection is reassuring. It
means that we have the technical
and infrastructural capabilities, and
are ready to kick off in Lagos on
April 29,” he added.
He described the project as a
capital intensive revolution which
gulps a lot of money but expressed
happiness that the government is
assisting greatly. Meanwhile,
seeing how viable the project is, the
federal government has also
decided it is self-sustained.
Idachaba said the commission is
hoping that some of the component
players will be able to to generate
their own funds to sustain the rollout
even as the federal government
recently approved N9.4billion for
NBC to facilitate the DSO drive.
Also speaking, Acting CEO, NTA-
Star TV Network, Alex Jian, said
the company’s technical team is
ready to support the nation in
transiting fully to digital TV.
He said: “The NBC DG has a big
strategy for DSO and NTA-
StarTimes will cooperate very well
with ITS Ltd to support this project.
Our technical team is ready. We
have already prepared ourselves for
this switch over all over the country.
“So we are providing affordable
decoders and our bouquets are
much more affordable. On our
coverage, we have more than 60
base stations nationwide. In some
base stations, we are losing money
because there are a small
population and few customers but
we are still holding our position
there. Our goal is to make
everyone enjoy digital life. We have
also created a pay-per-day module
and we have implemented this for
more than three years,” Alex said.
‘Why data protection must be
taken seriously’
Stories by Juliet Umeh
EO of Data Services Protection
CLimited, DSPL, Mr. Tunde
Balogun has advised Nigerians to
protect their personal data from
falling into wrong hands else they
could be used to commit crimes and
other online atrocities.
Balogun, who is also the convener
of the Association of Licensed Data
Protection Compliance
Organisations of Nigeria,
ALDPCON, harped on the need for
the public and private sectors to
ensure that data in their possessions
are secured. He stated that the
Federal Government of Nigeria is
aware of the need to protect the data
of Nigerians and so put facilities in
place to ensure compliance with this
directive.
According to him, the FG through
the National Information
Technology Agency, NITDA, has
been going about sensitising
ministries, departments and
agencies, MDAs, state governments
and the private sector on the need to
comply with data protection.
Conscious of the concerns around
privacy and protection of personal
data and the grave consequences of
leaving personal data processing
unregulated, the NITDA in 2019
issued the Nigeria Data Protection
Regulation (NDPR). Nigeria’s
principal data protection
legislation is the NDPR issued by the
NITDA on 25 January 2019
pursuant to Section 32 of the NITDA
Act 2007 as subsidiary legislation
to the NITDA Act 2007.
B us-hailing
company, Plentywaka, application
has
announced a new investment from
an American global platform for
investment and innovation,
Techstars, to gain funding,
mentorship and access to experts.
This is as the startup currently sets
its sights on global expansion after
one year of moving over 300,000
riders in Nigeria. It will also join
nine other startups in the Techstars
Toronto accelerator programme,
Class of 2021.
In another development, the
company has launched its city-tocity
service for Nigerians, where
commuters travelling from one
state to another within the country
can now purchase discounted bus
tickets from its mobile app.
With this added feature,
commuters have the luxury of
According to Balogun, “the good
thing is that some of our people are
beginning to understand why data
must be protected in all
ramifications. A good example is
the government of Oyo State where
we are currently implementing data
protection services for about eight
ministries, departments and
agencies as part of the first phase of
the scheme.
“It is still going to all other
ministries but we started with these
eight MDAs because they handle
more data than most other MDAs
and it even goes beyond mere
putting facilities in place to enforce
compliance with data protection.
“This is where we are shoulder high
than other DCOs. Many people
think data protection is only about
data auditing but it goes beyond that
because we provide other
deliverables. In our case, we do
auditing, we train staff, organise
lectures, we ensure full privacy and
arrange workshops to drive home
the point,” he explained.
He stated that data collection is
the most resourceful enterprise in
the world and that most successful
companies in the world are not in
the oil & gas, banking or insurance
but in the collection of data.
He said this was why government
is insisting on protection of data of
Nigerians in both public and private
sectors of the country.
Balogun said data protection is
part of the larger layers of strategies
being in place by governments all
over the world to checkmate
cybercrimes, which he said had
attracted the concern of wellmeaning
human beings.
Plentywaka set for global expansion
with Techstars new investment
… Launches city-to-city service for Nigerians
choosing their preferred bus
transportation company from the
list of partners listed on the
company’s app from the comfort
of their homes.
To kick-start the service, it would
be partnering with some major
bus travel companies in Nigeria
including Libra Motors with over
300 buses in their fleet along with
four other players with a capacity
of more than 2000 buses plying
over 100 routes across Nigeria.
Co-Founder and CEO of
Plentywaka, Onyeka Akumah,
said: “We are very excited about
this new investment to partner with
Techstars. This is the second time
a startup I founded will go
through a Techstars accelerator
program and we are truly happy
they have believed in our ability
again to execute.
Samsung approves sales discount for Tech Experience Centre customers
By Juliet Umeh
amsung Nigeria says it is
Simpressed with the opportunity
sales outlet, Tech Experience Centre
has afforded customers to
experience the latest technological
transformational devices on display
in the Tech Experience Centre, which
was opened by TD Africa last
October. The commendation
coincides with the company’s
decision to give its customers
discounts on some of its products.
The Tech Experience Centre,
Victoria Island, Lagos, is home to
latest global technological devices
manufactured by Original
Equipment Manufacturers, OEMs,
like Samsung Nigeria. The centre
offers visitors a first-hand experience
of new devices, gadgets, solutions
and infrastructure that were
previously alien to the industry and
customers in Nigeria.
Head, Marketing, Samsung
Nigeria, Iretiogo Oke, said: “The
Tech Centre provides customers an
array of our latest premium
technological devices and gadgets
on a consistent basis. It is like a daily
technological exhibition of some
sort and it is open to customers for a
long period of time daily. We are
glad to be part of this remarkable
arrangement which enables us to
reach our customers in a whole new
level and avail consumers with
ultramodern home and office
appliances,” she added.
On the discounts, Head,
Consumer Electronics, Samsung
Nigeria, Oluwaremilekun
Ogunsan, said “We are very happy
to announce that Consumers can
enjoy up to 20 percent discount on a
range of home appliances such as
Refrigerators and Washing
Machines. This offer is our own way
of assisting our customers who
would love to celebrate their
mothers with a special gift and we
thought it wise to help them achieve
it.” Mother’s Day celebration has
become a huge part of us in Nigeria
and it is an opportunity for Mothers
to receive pleasant gifts of
appreciation from their Children,
she added.
Head of the Tech Experience
Centre, Chidalu Ekeh, says that
aside from reducing the decisionmaking
cycle for Chief Executive
Officers, CEOs, Chief Information
Officers CIOs, Chief Technology
Officers, CTOs, as well as other
technology consumers, the Centre
serves as a training centre for young
Nigerians on the latest technology.