This aligns with and gives unambiguous expression to NCC’s strategic vision plan centring on strategic partnership and collaboration with necessary stakeholders to achieve regulatory objectives.

The two organisations made the commitment when a delegation from Google Global Services Nigeria paid a courtesy visit to the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja to deliberate on viable collaborative interventions to propel digital transformation across the country and Africa.

Receiving the Google delegation, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said the commission’s expectations, initiatives, and vision towards increasing broadband penetration, quality of service, advancement of a digital economy and commitment to improving national security through technological advancement are at the front burner of its regulatory interventions.

Underscoring the importance of such synergy between the commission and Google, Danbatta, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services (ECTS), NCC, Ubale Maska, said the Commission looked forward to making the initiatives of both parties more impactful by enhancing cooperation between the NCC and Google Nigeria for quantifiable and remarkable impact.

The EVC expressed optimism that Google’s investment in the subsea cable, Equiano, which is expected to land in Nigeria by end of April 2022, will be more impactful in driving NCC’s ongoing implementation of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP), 2020-2025, aimed at increasing broadband penetration to 70 per cent by 2025.

“I am hopeful that Equiano will have additional landing points in the hinterlands through collaborative efforts with the licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) to reduce retail data prices significantly and thereby complementing the commission’s efforts at ensuring affordable Internet services are available to boost the Commission’s ongoing broadband policy drive,” he said.

Earlier in her remarks, the Director, Google West Africa, Juliet Ehimuan, who led the delegation to NCC, commended the NCC for its consultative approach in formulating regulatory policies, as an engine room for optimal delivery of telecommunications services that will in turn impact the digital economy drive of the government.

She particularly applauded the commission for its seamless, fair, credible, impartial and successful auction of the 3.5GHz spectrum for the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) in Nigeria, stating that it is evident that both the NCC and Google share a common goal.

According to Ehimuan, demands for Internet services have increased the need for more capacity, and sustainable collaborations with all relevant stakeholders within the public and private sectors. She asserted that Google’s commitment of $1 billion across five years in various interventions will support digital transformation in Nigeria and across Africa.

Ehimuan stated that research has proven that Africa will have an additional 300 million Internet users and Nigeria will lead in that number, given its current statistics of over 141 million internet subscribers and broadband penetration of over 40.88 per cent as of January 2022.

The post NCC, Google collaborate on internet affordability first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post NCC, Google collaborate on internet affordability appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

The convicts are, Babalola Kehinde Omogbolohan; Adekoya Abayomi Peter; Stephen Ogbebor Damilare; Opeogun Temitope Felix and Sodiq Sanni (a.k.a Alan Anderson).

Having pleaded guilty to amended one-count charge of fraudulent impersonation, Justice Ibrahim Watilat of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta Division convicted and sentenced Omogbolohan, Damilare and Felix to five months in prison each, while Peter bagged four months for the crime.

Omogbolohan and Peter were given N100,000 option of fine each, while Felix and Damilare were handed N400,000 and N300,000 option of fine respectively.

Sanni (a.k.a Alan Anderson) was prosecuted before Justice Muhammed Abubakar of the Federal High Court of the same Abeokuta Judicial Division on amended one-count charge of fraudulent impersonation and having pleaded guilty, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment without an option of fine. All the convicts are to restitute their victims the sums of money they fraudulently obtained from them and forfeit all the items recovered from them to the federal government.

The post Court Jails Five Internet Fraudsters in Abeokuta first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post Court Jails Five Internet Fraudsters in Abeokuta appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

According to the renowned legal luminary nowhere else around the world is the mandate of the people being determined at the courts than at the polls.

Falana who was speaking on Monday in a live interview monitored on Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, BCOS suggested that retired judges should be engaged in electoral petition thereby allowing regular courts to take care of other vital matters.

“I’m strongly opposed to the idea of empowering the Supreme Court to get involved in governorship election cases. In most parts of the world, it is not the business of the Supreme Court to get involved in local elections and that was the situation in Nigeria until 2011.All election petition appeals arising from governorship election petitions, legislative election petitions ended at the appeal court.

“Among lawyers and judges, that is the thinking, that we have to go back to the status quo ante. We should take advantage of the pool of our retired judges to handle election matters”, said the Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

On the various preventive measures to tackle the ravaging coronavirus which has crippled the global economy in the past few months, Falana said the the restriction order and total lockdown in some parts of Nigeria were in order but these should be reviewed periodically to lessen the burden on the citizens

He frowned at the recent importation of Chinese medical personnel to tackle coronavirus cases in Nigeria, saying government should not at this moment frustrate the efforts of local medical workers with inadequate provision of facilities and necessary incentives,adding that our medical doctors are doing well and can compete with others around the world but they lack equipment to work with.

“We need to abandon the neo-liberal economic system being practiced by Nigeria.There cannot be basis for giving oil blocs to individuals that will turn them to instant billionaires while state governments cannot pay salaries.

“Why don’t you give the oil blocs to state and federal governments so that they will be able to use the money accruing from the sale of the oil blocs to take care of health,education and other key critical sectors?”

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria argued further,”this is not the time to pay debts to the detriment of development of our nation.You can’t be cutting capital allocation,while you’re paying debt.

“The economic stimulus package has to address the crisis in the health,education an d other social services,” he said.

Falana also called for a review of the National Health Act by emphasizing the improvement of hospitals and the national health insurance at local,state and federal levels.

The legal luminary believed that if every Nigerian is captured on the National Health Insurance net,nobody would die of any preventable disease.

He said:”Nigeria has a lot to learn from countries like Cuba,a country with 11 million population and 400,000 medical doctors which she’s able to deploy to 15 countries combating covid-19.

He said the current lockdown and restriction order has terribly affected legal practice and advised judges to take advantage of technology to attend to urgent matters.

In addition,Falana said with internet facilities now,”the days of conflicting judgment will soon be over.The National Judicial Council will have to come down heavily on judges deliberately giving conflicting decisions,thereby exposing the judiciary to ridicule.”

The post Falana Wants Supreme Court to Stay Off Local Election Petitions first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post Falana Wants Supreme Court to Stay Off Local Election Petitions appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

The Vice chancellor,  who spoke at the end of the training while addressing the participants, also noted that the entire world was becoming digital, averring that, “whoever that is going to be relevant must therefore update himself by participating in a programme like this so as to increase his knowledge”.

While urging the trainees to share the knowledge gained with their colleagues in office in order to generally advance the university, the UI boss argued that “the more we know, the better we are placed in an upward spiral of growing income and emotional well being”.

Represented by the Director of Information Technologies and Media Services (ITeMs), Mrs. Abiodun Alao, the university leader promised that his administration would continue to facilitate access to training of this nature, thanking the NCC for sponsoring the training.

In her remarks, the IteMs Director thanked the University’s Management for approving the training, promising that her Directorate would not relent in exposing members of the community to various computer training of diverse nature.

Mrs. Alao disclosed that Management has approved money for the renovation of a 50-seater laboratory, purchase of 50 laptops as well as furniture so as to be able to train more people.

The ADAPTI programme is one of the NCC initiatives designed to empower workers in the higher institutions of learning. The programme is divided into two including Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Internet and Computer Appreciation (ICA).

The training was handled by the NCC’s Consultant, Digital Bridge Institute with many participants thanking the University’s Management for adding value to their lives.

The post ‘Share your knowledge with others to advance UI’, VC admonishes computer trainees first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post ‘Share your knowledge with others to advance UI’, VC admonishes computer trainees appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.