NCC summons Glo CEO, halts ‘free data day’ promo

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has halted the plans of Globacom Nigeria to offer free data to all its subscribers on Friday.
In a letter signed by Sunday Dare, NCC commissioner for stakeholder management, said the promotion is a clear departure from what was approved by the regulator.
Earlier, Glo had annoucced that eligible subscribers would enjoy as much as 200 megabytes of data for free to enjoy what it called the “free data day”.
The regulator also summoned Gladys Talabi, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Globacom Nigeria, to a meeting at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
“Please refer to the commission’s letter dated 14th March, 2017 conveying approval for your Glo overload promotion. It has however come to our notice that Globacom Nigeria Ltd has been implementing the above regulatory approval in breach especially given your recent media campaign on the ‘Glo free data offer’, a clear departure from terms and condition of the approval given for the Glo overload promotion,” the letter seen read by
“Consequent upon the above, you are hereby directed to suspend implementation of the Glo overload promotion from your network with immediate effect

Lagos gets two Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centres

One of the VIS Centres in Ojodu
Towards the efficient implementation of the State’s computerized vehicle inspection service initiative, two computerized Vehicle Inspection Centres have been completed at Ojodu-Berger and Ikorodu.
Acting Commissioner for Transportation, Prince Anofiu Elegushi who disclosed this added that work is ongoing on the third computerized vehicle inspection centre on Lagos Island.
Responding to a question based on recent insinuations making rounds that the State’s Vehicle Officers were back on the roads, the acting commissioner reiterated the state government’s decision to keep officers of Vehicle Inspection Services (VIOs) off its roads as earlier pronounced in May this year.
Elegushi stated that the Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) of the State has since embraced technology billing system by using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Central Billing System (CBS) technologies to run its activities in line with global best practice adding that a pilot project of the new system was billed to take off in the state by next week.
He explained that collection of data relating to vehicle documentations which is a duty of the Vehicle Inspection Service for vehicles plying Lagos roads such as vehicle license, road worthiness, insurance and others have been synchronized on e-platforms for easy verification of vehicle status on the spot, noting that any defaulting vehicle owner, through the data captured, will have bills generated through the Central Billing Systems (CBS) which in turn will be delivered to the defaulter’s home or office address as the case may be.
According to him, harmonizing the road worthiness certificate and MOT test was to further enhance the efficiency of vehicles plying Lagos roads as this would help the state consolidate its movement away from physical and manual inspection of vehicles to the computerized method.
He alerted members of the public about the observed activities of officers of the Vehicle Inspection Service of Ogun State in some areas and locations close to the state boundary, adding that these officers could easily be taken for Lagos Vehicle Inspection Officers as the service’s officers uniforms were the same nationwide.
To ensure that the situation is remedied, Elegushi said efforts were at advanced stage to clearly identify the state’s boundary from that of its sister state to prevent such misconceptions.
He, therefore, urged motorists in the State to continue to be partners in progress towards making the State safe and secure for all by voluntarily undertaking their responsibilities under extant laws regulating the operation of vehicles among others

Glo declares Friday 11th August free data day

Glo declares Friday 11th August free data day






Mobile telecommunication giants, Globacom, has declared Friday, August 11, as the first Free Data Day on its network.

This is keeping with the company’s promise of the Free Data Day package which was launched recently, a statement from the telco said.



The company said that eligible subscribers will get 200 MB free data to enjoy a free day of FREE browsing, chatting, streaming, downloading, uploading and lots more.



Glo subscriber should use 100MB plus N150 on voice calls OR N250 on voice calls between Friday, 4th and Thursday 10th August to qualify for the data largesse.



At the launch of the product, Globacom explained that it is open to all prepaid subscribers, adding that Free Data Day gives Glo customers free data for one whole day when they meet the voice and/or data usage threshold within seven days.




“We appreciate the essence of the internet in the contemporary world. We are through this product empowering our customers in an unprecedented way in their business, social and educational pursuits, ” glo stated.

PHOTO.... WOW!!! SEE HOUSE CONSTRUCTED BY BAMBOO AND CARTOON

This 16years old boy constructed this 11 story building  with bamboo  and cartoons.........  What's your take on this?  Africans are talented.  #stopbraindrils

BREAKING: Get to know Engr. Aliyu Aziz the new Director General/CEO NIMC

The New DG/CEO NIMC, Engr. Aliyu Aziz, was a pioneer staff of NIMC and the Director, Information Technology/National Identity Database department of NIMC before he retired in 2014, after over thirty years of post qualification experience in Engineering & Information Technology, spanning both the private and public sectors.

He was a Director at the Secretariat of the Presidential Implementation Committee in the Secretary to the Government of the Federation's office saddled with the responsibilities for the Implementation of Government Decisions on Consumer Credit System, National Outsourcing Initiative and Harmonisation of Identification Schemes in Nigeria. The committee oversaw the setting up of the National Identity Management Commission in 2007.

His appointment comes after the expiration of the tenure of Barr. Chris Onyemenam as DG/CEO, and is with immediate effect.

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THIS?

Can't even explain the misery behind this show,  how in God's name do they archive this? What's your opinion?

MTN SUFFERS ANOTHER GREAT LOSS AGAIN.

HIGH COURT AWARDS EZEEMONEY LIMITED DAMAGES AGAINST MTN UGANDA IN GROUND BREAKING COMPETITION CASE
EzeeMoney (U) Limited was established on the 9th August 2012 to provide Mobile Financial Services. An affiliate of Mobile Money International based in Malaysia, EzeeMoney set out to make the lives of Ugandans much easier by making mobile payments for goods and services as easy as possible and widely available as possible.
On starting up, EzeeMoney signed up with MTN Uganda Limited, a licensed telecom services provider, for the provision of the telephone and data services it needed to carry out its business.  EzeeMoney also signed up the services of a local telecom services aggregator to ease its interface with all licensed telecom services providers. Lastly EzeeMoney went about recruiting hundreds of retail mobile payments agents across Uganda, all of whom were given EzeeMoney’s signage and GSM enabled point of sales (POS) machines to service customers.   
Shortly after the public launch of EzeeMoney’s business in January 2013 MTN Uganda Limited, perhaps perceiving EzeeMoney’s innovative offerings as a threat to its own Mobile Money product started taking hostile action against EzeeMoney; essentially trying to squeeze it out of the market and shut it down. In this campaign of hostile and underhanded action MTN Uganda Limited:
• Denied the use of EzeeMoney’s short code on its network;
• Threatened EzeeMoney’s aggregator with a complete denial of access to the dominant MTN network if the aggregator continued to work with EzeeMoney at all, causing the aggregator to the terminating the provision of services to EzeeMoney altogether in order to save its business;
• Cut off all of EzeeMoney’s call centre lines;
• Cut off all 300 data SIM cards that were being used in EzeeMoney’s GSM enabled POS machines; and
• Intimidated all agents who were also providing MTN Mobile Money into signing exclusivity agreements and, specifically, warned them against any dealings with EzeeMoney so as to essentially deny EzeeMoney access to the market.
• Harassed the agents to the extent of them being asked to write apology letters for dealing in EzeeMoney services before their MTN services were restored.
Frustrated and nearly brought to its knees by the hostile and anti-competitive acts of MTN Uganda Limited, EzeeMoney, the small startup company which had already created over 1000 jobs for young Ugandans, filed a suit in the Commercial Division of the High Court of Uganda. In the suit, EzeeMoney contended that MTN Uganda Limited’s actions were a breach of its duties under the provisions of the Uganda Communication Act 2013 as well as an unlawful interference with its contractual relationships with its aggregator and retail agents.
In a landmark judgment delivered on Friday the 6th October 2015, the Honourable Mr. Justice Henry Peter Adonyo of the Commercial Division of the High Court of Uganda, resolved all issues in favour of EzeeMoney and issued the following orders:
a) A declaration that the exclusivity agreements which the Mobile Money agents were compelled to sign with MTN Uganda Limited infringe section 53(1)(b) of the Communications Act 2013 and are therefore null and void;
b) A permanent injunction prohibiting MTN Uganda Limited from acting in an unlawful and anti-competitive manner as against EzeeMoney;
c) A permanent injunction restraining MTN Uganda Limited from inducing any third parties to breach their contracts with EzeeMoney;
d) An award of Ug. Shs. 800,000,000/= (Eight Hundred Million Uganda Shillings), being general damages for loss of business arising from MTN Uganda Limited’s anti-competitive actions;
e) An award of Ug. Shs. 1,500,000,000/= (One Billion Five Hundred Million Uganda Shillings), being punitive damages against MTN Uganda Limited, to act as a deterrent to MTN Uganda Limited and other entities with similar anti-competitive conduct to stand warned that courts will not tolerate illegality and highhandedness in the conduct of business in Uganda;
f) Interest on (d) and (e) above at court rate from the date of judgment until payment in full; and
g) Costs of the suit.
Clearly the laws of Uganda protect small players from abusive and predatory anti-competitive behaviour and there is now an injunction prohibiting MTN Uganda Limited from unlawfully interfering with EzeeMoney’s business and business relationships. EzeeMoney expects MTN Uganda Limited to respect and comply with the lawful orders of the High Court of Uganda.
Justice has been served and the management of EzeeMoney pledges to continue providing innovative services to the people of Uganda and to do even better now that the unlawful impediments in its way have been lifted.

TECH , Nike Air promotes its self-lacing shoes

The future is here- at least this is what Nike says.
The sports brand has announced that the actual Marty McFly self-zipping Nikes from Back to the Future II will launch in 2016.
Nike CEO, Mark Parker, says, “We started creating something for fiction and we turned it into fact, inventing a new technology that will benefit all athletes. The product comes alive, with on-demand comfort and support when you need, senses you and adapts to you.”

Google Announces Offline Navigation And Search On Google Maps

Google Maps has rolled out a new offline mode allowing for driving directions and search, providing access to turn-by-turn directions and several other features in areas without a reliable cellular data or internet connection.
According to BBC reports, the new features will begin rolling out to Android users later on Tuesday, and Google says the iOS roll out will follow soon. Offline search and navigation was one of the biggest announcements, nearly six months later, that feature is finally reaching users.
The option to save certain areas has existed in Google Maps since 2012, but this is the first time they have been indexed for search and navigation. That means if you save the city you live in, you will be able to search for a place to have dinner and get a response without a cellular connection. Because of space constraints, the businesses stored will have names, star ratings, and phone numbers, but no photos or user reviews.
Similarly, directions will work from average traffic time rather than loading in real-time traffic data, although the route will update as soon as the connection is restored. The initial rollout does not include transit or walking directions, largely due to space considerations, but Google says those features will be added in the months to come.
The feature will be most useful for anyone navigating without a cellular connection, either in a dead zone or a foreign country that requires a second SIM. But project manager Amanda Bishop says even standard users will notice maps loading faster, because of the erratic nature of even the best data connections.
According to Google’s research, the average phone is offline for 10 percent of the day, much of which results from simple network congestion.

Nigerians Beware! Jonathan procures N11 billion equipment to tap your phones

Nigeria’s active 120 million GSM subscribers need to know this: The Nigeria Police, the State Security Service [SSS] and the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited [NIGCOMSAT] are, on behalf of the Nigerian government, possibly hacking your phones and listening in to your conversations. The three state agencies are able to do this with the aid of an over N11 billion sophisticated equipment procured and installed for them by President Goodluck Jonathan. Knowing what Nigerians are discussing over the telephone was too important a necessity for Mr. Jonathan that he awarded two different contracts for the same purpose in less than two months interval. On August 31, 2010, less than six months after he became acting president, Mr. Jonathan awarded an approximately N6billion contract to an Israeli-owned but Abuja-based security firm, V & V Nigeria Limited, for the “Procurement of strategic GSM Tracking System for the Nigeria Police Force and expansion/upgrade of the existing system with the DSS”. The project, awarded to the contractor by the Ministry of Police Affairs, was jointly hosted by the Nigeria Police and Nigeria Communication Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), under the Nigeria Police Reform Programme. Less than two months after – October 21, 2010 – another N2.61 billion contract was awarded by the same Ministry of Police Affairs “for the procurement of Strategic GSM Tracking and Interception Systems for the Department of State Services, under the Nigeria Police Reform”. This other contract, which appears a duplicate of the first, was awarded to a British security firm, Gamma TSE Limited, which, according to the information on its website, “manufactures highly specialized surveillance vehicles and integrated surveillance systems, helping government agencies collect data and communicate it to key decision-makers for timely decisions to be made”. The two clearly similar projects were however neither budgeted for nor listed among contracts approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in 2010. They were also not captured in the government’s budget implementation reports for that year. There is also no indication that the contracts complied with Nigeria’s public procurement law, which requires competitive bidding for government contracts of that magnitude. Yet there was a separate project in the 2010 budget by the Nigeria Police Force (not the Ministry of Police Affairs) for “the procurement of GSM interception and tracking equipment installed in 10 configured vehicles (security/criminal intelligence)” for which N2.5billion was budgeted. It is not clear whether this other project was executed at the time, but it was also not captured in the budget implementation report as well as FEC approvals for the year. Insiders at the State Security Service, the Nigerian Police and the NIGCOMSAT said while Gamma TSE delivered on the contract awarded to it, they were not sure that V & V, linked to a top politician from the South-South, performed satisfactorily. Gamma TSE could not be reached for comments. Repeated telephone calls to its London office were neither answered nor returned. V & V also declined to comment when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES. The official, who answered the call made to the company’s Abuja office, directed all enquiries on the project to the Ministry of Police Affairs. But the spokesperson for the Ministry of Police Affairs, James Odaudu, also declined comments, just like his counterpart at NIGCOMSAT, Sonny Aragba-Akpore. Both officials said they should not be expected to divulge details about security-related installations. Details about these new surveillance contracts emerged about 22 months after PREMIUM TIMES exposed a similar $40 million surveillance contract the administration secretly, also in open violation of lawful contracting procedures, awarded to an Israeli firm, Elbit Systems, with headquarters in Haifa. At the time, Nigerian rights activists considered the project one of the most far-reaching policies ever designed in the country’s history to invade the privacy of citizens. The clandestine programme allows the government spy on citizens’ computers and Internet communications and emails under the guise of intelligence gathering and national security. Embarrassed by the widespread national outrage that arose after this newspaper exclusively exposed the secret contract, the presidency had summoned the management of Elbit Systems for a meeting to explain why the contract should not be revoked after it allegedly breached a confidential clause in the contract. In May 2013, the House of Representatives asked the federal government to suspend the contract, saying it was awarded in breach of the Fiscal Responsibility Act and that the deployment of such spy equipment would violate citizens’ constitutional rights. The House then ordered the immediate suspension of the project to allow its Committees on Information and Computer Technology, Human Rights, and National Security, to conduct an inquiry. The House is however yet to make the outcome of its enquiry public, and the project has since gone ahead. Intelligence sources say the Internet Spy device has since come alive. The spying on telephone and Internet communications of citizens is continuing despite the country not having any law in place to regulate such undertakings by the nation’s security agencies. The Cybercrime Bill 2014, which allows a measure of communication interception, is yet to be passed into law by the National Assembly. Part 3 Section 22 of the Bill, which deals with Interception of electronic communications, says: “Where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the content of any electronic communication is reasonably required for the purposes of a criminal investigation or proceedings, a Judge may on the basis of information on oath: (a) order a service provider, through the application of technical means to collect, record, permit or assist competent authorities with the collection or recording of content data associated with specified communications transmitted by means of a computer system; or (b) authorize a law enforcement officer to collect or record such data through application or technical means.” However, the bill, initiated by the presidency, was passed in December by the Senate but it only scaled second reading in the House of Representatives on Tuesday and was referred to the House committees on justice and information for further scrutiny. When eventually passed by both chambers, it would be harmonised and then sent to the President for assent. CREDIT > PREMIUM TIMES