250m fake phones sold yearly in Nigeria –NCC boss

The Nigerian Telecommunications Commission yesterday disclosed that about 250 million substandard phones were sold annually in the country.
The acting Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who gave the figure during a stake holders meeting on ‘ Combating Counterfeit and Substandard ICT Devices Programme in Abuja, noted that the damaging impact of the substandard products on the economy cannot be quantified in socio-economic terms.
Specifically, he lamented the damaging effects of the products on a broad spectrum of the national life, saying that the ugly development poses grave danger to the health, safety and privacy of buyers and the nation’s environment.
He said” counterfeiting is a growing economic problem affecting a wide range of products in the ICT sector, mobile phones are especially targeted with some 250 million counterfeits sold annually. This number constitutes about 15% to 20% of the global mobile phone market.
“Apart from the obvious negative economic impact of this ugly trend on the manufacturers of genuine products, government, authorized dealers which include brand evaluation, loss of revenue, copyright and trademark infringement, unfair competition, loss of tax, cost of compliance with applicable national legislation, national security and loss of employment opportunities.
“This menace also poses danger to the health and safety of consumers equally breaching the privacy of consumers. Collective efforts is urgently needed to curtail counterfeiting in ICT,” Danbatta added.
Also speaking, director EMEA Mobile Manufacturers Forum, Thomas Barmuller, stressed the need to address counterfeit phones due to the hazardous substances which he said were not only a risk to safety, health and economic development,, but was a tool used for transmission of deadly viruses.
According to him, investigations has shown that the incidence of malware, spyware and SMS Trojans has increased dramatically especially with the usage of fake smart phones.
He however called for increased consumer education through communication strategy both at the national and regional levels, to create awareness on the negative effects of counterfeit phones so as to enable consumers, manufacturers and operators link to a trustworthy source.
He added that, “it is necessary to work with stake holders to address the situation by developing communication campaigns, build awareness and support reforms in key markets.”

Invade Ekiti and see what happens: Fayose dares DSS and Buhari

Gov. Fayose

If operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) got away with the invasion of Akwa Ibom State
Government House last Thursday, it will not achieve same in Ekiti State, says Governor Ayo Fayose.
Insisting that the invasion was a violation of the constitutional rights of the Akwa Ibom state government, Fayose, who said he had information on planned invasion of the state by the Lawal Daura’s DSS, warned that any such action would meet resistance from Ekiti people.
Speaking yesterday in a statement, he personally signed and titled ‘Buhari’s 100 days and invasion of Akwa Ibom
Government House: My Position’, Governor Fayose said: “The major sore-point of the 100 days of President Buhari is the last Thursday invasion of the Akwa Ibom State Government House by armed men of the DSS.“Nigeria is a Federation, with 36 States Federating Units and in a federation, the component states are in some sense sovereign.
“Therefore, what happened in Akwa Ibom Government House last Thursday was clearly a government (FG) authorizing the invasion of another government (State Government).
Even during the dark days of the military, it never happened in Nigeria. “The invasion of Akwa Ibom State Government House by armed men of the DSS deserves condemnation from all men of goodwill, including State governors.
It was Akwa Ibom last week; it could be the turn of any other governor irrespective of political party tomorrow. “Today, we are also being informed that it will soon be the turn of Ekiti State. We await Alhaji Lawal Daura’s men, but we assure him that Ekiti people will always rise to defend their government”.
Stating further his position on other burning issues, Fayose said “as at today, the only achievement recorded by the President Buhari’s government is the harassment of leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and those perceived as not on the same political page with the president in his party”.
“Former President Goodluck Jonathan, and those who worked with him as well as PDP governors and leaders are now targets of harassment, and by  this, the president is telling Nigerians that it does not pay to be honourable. Dr Goodluck Jonathan was honourable enough to allow a peaceful transition and conceded to the president even though it was obvious that his victory was questionable.
Visiting such a person and those who worked with him with persecution as being done now, is no doubt a sad reminder of the reason we have many sit-tight leaders in Africa. “Interestingly, some of those who worked with Dr. Goodluck Jonathan that the APC called thieves are now being appointed to manage the affairs of international organisations like the World Bank and African Development Bank”.
Expressing concern over President Buhari’s actions in polarizing Nigeria along ethnic divides with his appoint
ments which he described as “lopsided”, the Ekiti state governor stated that “appointments made have shown the president’s insensitivity to the ethnic diversity of Nigeria and contempt for the Constitution of the country”.
He argued that “the South-East has been totally neglected as if the likes of Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, who was earlier touted as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and others in the region, do not merit appointments”
Describing the descent as “unacceptable”, Gov. Fayose stated that the “appointment of Buharis’s in-law, Mrs Amina Zakari as Acting Chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); APC member, Alhaji Lawal Daura as Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS) and Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd) as the Comptroller-General Nigeria Customs Service, clearly violated the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria”.
Stating his views on the President’s anti-corruption crusade, the governor who said he is totally in support of actions taken so far to redress the problem of corruption in the country said however that “corruption can neither be fought along political party lines nor through the media”.
“What is being witnessed presently as fight against corruption is mere noise-making, witch-hunt and harassment of perceived political opponents of the President. This is more so that most of the political allies of the President and those who sponsored his election are also being accused of corruption and the president is looking the other way”, he stated.
Fayose insisted that “the Halliburton bribery scandal must be revisited”.

Every Artiste Should Be On Social Media – Don Jazzy

Don Jazzy

Speaking recently with NET, Mavin Records boss Don Jazzy advised every artiste to embrace social media.
“If you know me, you’ll know I don’t grant interviews because I’m very shy, I don’t like cameras, most times I know what to say but I don’t know how to say it and sometimes I say it very blunt, so I try as much as possible not to do interviews.
But then, Twitter came along and I found a way to stay in my house and say what I want to say without facing a camera and I can reach my fans, study them and get their reactions first hand. So, I practically sit-down on my computer and follow up with comments and reactions, so I decided that this is a way to reach a bunch of people and I had to be very vocal on it.
So I think every artiste should be on social media, if you are not already there, you need to engage your fans and make them part of your growth process.”

Buhari's cabinet: APC godfathers shocked and alarmed

PMB

 

Shocker awaits godfathers of All Progressives Congress (APC), as President Muhammadu Buhari is set to unfold the list of his ministerial nominees. It was gathered that top leaders of the party, who had hints of the president's direction, were already alarmed.
It was gathered that contrary to the practice where the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives would have nominees in the cabinet, the duo of the Senate president Dr Bukola Saraki and Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, had been kept in the dark over the ministerial list.
It was also gathered that names of  former governors who had been heavily touted in the early days of the administration had been replaced.
Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune confirmed that the president might have rejected several nominees from political heavyweights in the party, in his determined bid to cultivate a crop of new breed politicians, a legacy he hopes to leave behind in the Nigerian political space.
Nigerian Tribune also gathered that the president had personally composed his list of ministerial hopeful, with names of big time politicians missing.
While details of the names remained sketchy as of press time, sources said the list was consistent with Buhari's determination to ensure the emergence of his trusted allies and new breed politicians in the scene ahead 2019.
A source actually said the president had composed a list comprising those he described as political "minnows," adding that the bigwigs who were hopeful of making the list were in for a big shocker.
There are reports that the list was already with the Department of State Services (DSS), though sources close to the organisation could not confirm the development.
It was, however, gathered that the government had ordered that all avenues by which the list would get to the media before its unveiling by the Senate be blocked.
Officials of the DSS were said to be under strict order not to allow a slip, as anyone found to have leaked the list would face sanction.
The president had said in a media interview during the week that his appointments would go to his trusted hands, who had been with him through his sojourn in the APP, ANPP, CPC and APC.
Besides, the issue of loyalty is also a reason the president was determined to ensure a take-over of the polity by his crop of new breed politicians, who he believed would institute discipline and probity.
"The president has made it clear to his party leaders that he needs to put in place a team that would work for the people.
"He is also insisting on people with unblemished record of service. He had stated that he would not condone a public officer who would be going to court with official vehicles to defend corruption charges.
"This is the time to walk the talk and the feelers we are having is that he (Buhari) stuck to his guns," a source close to the party said.
It was gathered that in line with this determination to pick trusted hands, President Buhari rejected the quest of one of the governors to nominate someone who can perform wonders as minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The governor was said to have recently approached Buhari with a candidate he believed would perform well in Abuja and restore sanity to the Federal Capital, but it was gathered that Buhari told the governor that he already had someone in mind.
"The president has assured his party leaders that while sensitivity of the job of ministers would not allow him pick some of their favoured candidates some names could be considered for future assignments," a source said.
Source: Nigerian Tribune

Tragedy: Trailer crushes 9-year-old girl in Onitsha

A Nine-year-old girl was yesterday crushed at Afor –Nkpo- New Tarzan axis, near Onitsha, Anambra State by a liquor haulage van, which injured 24 others.
The girl was said to be returning from an errand when she met her death as her body had been deposited at Eyi Enu Hospital Mortuary, Ogidi.
An eye witness said the lorry driver was shouting from afar to alert people that his breaks were faulty, only for the vehicle to slam into a spot where people were gathered, killing the girl on the spot.
The eyewitness said: “The driver could not control the situation and he immediately jumped out alongside the conductor. The lorry hit one L300 inside the waterway; smashed the little girl and rammed into a hair-dressing saloon.”
The lorry also trapped an aged man under its tyre, while the owner of the hair dressing saloon managed to run away, leaving her five-year-old child behind.
The lorry, with number plate XA424-AAH (Anambra) had full load of lager beer beverage at the time of the accident.
The eye witness said that the people around managed to pull the old man out of the tyre, with his legs shattered, while the five- year-old child was rescued unhurt.