ATCON endorses IPV6 Roundtable, harps on broadband roadmap

The Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ALTON) has endorsed the Nigeria Internet Protocol Version Six (IPV6) Roundtable 2011.

ATCON is a professional, non-profit umbrella organisation of all telecommunication companies in Nigeria, which was founded since December 10, 1993, as a national trade organisation, with membership drawn from Nigerian and multi-national companies which provide telecommunications and information technology products and services in across the country.
Whereas the forthcoming Nigeria IPV6 Roundtable was initiated by the DigitalSENSE Africa as part of its Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum series in commemoration the World IPV6 Day, which has been slated for Thursday, June 2, at the Planet One, Mary Land Lagos.
The global World IPV6 Day has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 8, this year by the Internet Society (ISOC), the organisational home for the groups responsible for Internet infrastructure standards, including the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Internet Architecture Board (IAB).
The acting Executive Secretary, Mr. Ajibola Olude in a letter of endorsement addressed to the Executive Director, DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, acknowledged the support of ATCON.
“I am pleased to convey approval of the National Executive Council,” he declared. Some of the condiments, according to him, include the use of the fact that ATCON endorsed the event on all the conference materials.
While promising that ATCON would broadcast the event to all its members, the President of ATCON, Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu has planned to give a goodwill message to the occasion.“ATCON will support the event with some mementos,” he added.
Reacting, Mrs. Nweke commended ATCON leadership for its foresight in recognizing the importance of this latest migration and efforts of DigitalSENSE in stimulating awareness in the IPV6 aspect of the future internet.
Further, she revealed that ATCON president would be presenting a position paper of the group for the stakeholders as a means of internalizing the endorsement among its members.
Meanwhile in the preceding weeks, the duo of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) and Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) have thrown their respective support for the Nigeria IPV6 Roundtable, scheduled to hold at Planet One on June 2.
President of NIG, Engr. Adebayo Banjo said that his group is pleased to endorse the Nigeria IPV6 Roundtable in commemoration of the World IPV6 Day also known as ‘Test Flight Day’.
He also said the IPV6 Roundtable offer a first-class platform for networking to stimulate public awareness on the importance.
More interesting, he said, is the theme for the roundtable ‘IPV6-Join The Players’ scheduled to hold at the Planet One MaryLand, Lagos being organized by the DigitalSENSE Africa, stressing that Nigeria should join the IPV6 world and not wait to do leapfrogging.
NIG in a letter to DSA dated April 15, 2011, Banjo said, they foresee the roundtable as a platform for Nigerian Internet stakeholders in which issues concerning the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector issues are raised and addressed with particular reference to the Internet Protocol version 6.
He, therefore, solicits the support of all Internet stakeholders to take active participation at the roundtable.
Equally, NIRA, in its letter of endorsement signed by the Head, Corporate Services, Ms Ugo Akiri commended DigitalSENSE Africa for the foresightedness in enlightening Nigerians on Internet-related developments.
She noted that this is coming shortly after the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum on Internet Governance and Development (IGD).
NIRA, she also said, has every reason to back the Nigeria IPV6 Roundtable and enjoined members of the association to actively participate in the event scheduled for Thursday June 2, this year at Planet One under the chairmanship of the former Minister of Communications, Chief Olawale Ige, who doubles as the chairman, board of trustees, Nigeria Internet Group.
Reacting to these development, the Executive Director, Operations, DigitalSENSE Africa, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, applauded both organisations for the endorsements.
She noted that following the recent allocation of the last batch of the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) addresses by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) it has become imperative for the deployment of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and Nigeria cannot afford to be left out.
“The Internet is now the global communication network and to join this evolution, Nigerian stakeholders need to integrate IPv6 in all areas,” she said.
Mrs. Nweke pointed out that based on the abovementioned, the Internet Society (ISOC), the organisational home for the groups responsible for Internet infrastructure standards, including the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) came up with the World IPV6 Day, which this year would be commemorated on Wednesday, June 8, 2011.
She explained that why Nigeria IPV6 Roundtable is holding on Thursday, June 2 is to drum support for the global commemoration on June 8.“We needed to get this earlier so that our people would start in good time to prepare their minds for the test-flight day,” she declared.
The Roundtable, she said, would stimulate public awareness on the importance of the World IPV6 Day also known as ‘Test Flight Day’ in addition to providing networking opportunities.
On June 8, she noted that the World IPv6 Day is a strategy to encourage successful migration to IPv6 through participation of some key Internet Service Providers like Google, Facebook, Yahoo!, Akamai and Limelight networks to offer their contents over IPv6 only for a 24-hour period.
“The goal of the Test Flight Day is to motivate organizations across the industry – regulators, operators, Internet service providers, hardware makers, operating system vendors, content providers, manufacturers, web companies and key stakeholders; to ensure a successful transition as IPv4 addresses run out,” she said.
Further, she urged Nigerians, especially the industry players to maximize the opportunity to showcasing their plans for IPV6 migration in Nigeria.

As part of her mission as the Starcomms Plc., Brand Ambassador, multi award winning singer/song writer, Nneka visited the Starcomms Customer Care Centre on Bode Thomas Street Surulere, Lagos where customers in a lucky deep promo won several prize with her is one of the lucky winner, Antony Udoh, a businessman living in Ikoyi, Lagos, receiving his prize.

STARCOMMS CHAMPIONS NETWORK QUALITY CAMPAIGN

Aligning with current trends globally whereby mobile telephone users are more concerned about the quality of services rendered by mobile telephone companies, multiple awards winning Telecommunications Company, Starcomms Plc is saying that mobile phone users should insist on quality of service.
The reason is that over the years, the Starcomms network has been able to maintain a track record of quality network by ensuring that its customers are not in the league of mobile users who groan over the pains of network failure.
According to the chief operating officer of the company, Logan Pather, Starcomms has decided to lead the campaign for no drop calls, voice clarity, no network congestion and easy connection at one dial saying that mobile users should vote for a network that ensures that they enjoy and experience a no drop call regime when talking.”
Pather also said that mobile phone users should also insist on having a network that is devoid of congestion as well as one that offers easy connection at one dial saying that Starcomms is the network of quality services.
He disclosed that as a network that listens to its customers, Starcomms remained committed to the task of ensuring that its customer enjoys quality services on its network stressing that that commitment has earned it several awards over the years.
While explaining the rationale for the network quality campaign, he said that low tariffs are not the only thing that appeals to the customer.
While urging mobile phone users to continue to patronize the Starcomms network, Pather said that Starcomms Plc remains the only network that ensures that its customers are overwhelmed with all-round telecoms services that comes at an affordable tariff.
Pather, who disclosed that he is elated that more mobile phone users are migrating to the Starcomms network because of the quality of its services and product, said that is attested to by Best IT product award that the Starcomms MyPAD won at the recent Beacon of ICT award.
He also said that the Best CDMA award for 2010 that Starcomms won at the ceremony, is symbolic of its position as the provider of excellent value added services as well as quality services at an affordable cost.
While promising that Starcomms will ensure that its customers continue to enjoy the best quality services from its network, Pather said that Starcomms is mindful of the right of its customers; hence it is devoting its resources to the campaign for the rights of the customer to quality network from mobile telephone companies.

African Brand Leadership Awards recently conferred an award of Best Company in Corporate Social Responsibility on Procter and Gamble West Africa (P&G) in Lagos. Head, External Relations, P&G, Patricia Obozuwa (C) receives the award from Mr. Ademola Oredugba, Managing Director of Minnesota Nigeria Limited while Corporate Public Relations Manager of P&G, Olatomiwa Akande looks on.

MTN and GIZ sign development partnership to manage e-waste

Telecoms company MTN Group has signed a development
partnership with German-based public-benefit enterprise Deutsche
Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to manage
the safe disposal of e-waste and foster enterprise development for
e-waste handlers.
GIZ signed the partnership with MTN on behalf of the German Federal
Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The partnership seeks to raise awareness among the general public and
corporate businesses about the safe recycling, management and disposal
of e-waste, and provide support to fledgling small and medium-sized
companies.
Electronic waste or e-waste is any form of electrical or electronic
technology that is no longer required, ranging from domestic and
commercial ‘white goods’ such as fridges and air conditioners, to
computers, phones and other electrical and electronic devices. As
global consumption of electrical devices grow, and products become
obsolete, the challenge of how to responsibly dispose of e-waste is
growing alarmingly.
Global mismanagement of e-waste is resulting in large-scale dumping,
often in open landfills, predominantly in areas or countries with poor
levels of environmental governance or enforcement ability.
There is increasing concern at the growth of e-waste generated by
global consumers, and ultimately often dumped, especially in
developing countries in Africa and Asia. Valuable components are
salvaged from discarded e-waste, but at the cost of human and
environmental health, given some degree of toxicity of in all
electronic components.
The pilot project, to be first implemented in South Africa, will focus
on educating the public about what e-waste is, why it is a matter of
human health and environmental concern, and the value of recycling and
responsible disposal.
MTN South Africa will roll out e-waste collection points at key
publicly-accessible sites e.g. schools, shopping malls and possibly in
partnership with other corporate partners. These collection points
will collect cellular e-waste regardless of network operator or
handset manufacturer.
As part of this partnership GIZ will be undertaking a situational
analysis, develop standards and disposal protocols for the piloting
model and undertaking a multi-stakeholder engagement process. The
partnership will also support enterprise development and the “green
jobs” agenda by ensuring that selected small and medium sized e-waste
handlers and large recyclers receive a steady, consistent and sizeable
supply of e-waste. These recyclers will be monitored by MTN South
Africa to ensure that they abide by approved and acceptable e-waste
handling processes and protocols.
The partnership will initially be rolled out to two major cities in
South Africa. The implementation of the partnership will be rolled out
in a number of phases. Subject to a successful multi-year South
African pilot, it is hoped that results and lessons learnt will be
documented and replicated by MTN operations across the Group’s
footprint in Africa and the Middle East.
GIZ, which has previous experience with e-waste management through
partnerships in India and Morocco, will bring its experience,
knowledge base and technical support to this partnership. This
experience includes helping develop corporate standards for e-waste
management, and supporting engagement processes with other parties,
usually other companies and industry sectors which also generate
e-waste, and who may wish to support this initiative.
Says Mr Christian de Faria, MTN Group Senior Vice-President:
Commercial and Innovation: “We believe that this partnership will help
us to increase public awareness about the problem of e-waste and
provide assurance to MTN that e-waste is being handled appropriately
locally in line with acceptable standards.
“While we do not manufacture handsets, computers and other electronic
devices, within the context of network operators, e-waste is generated
through customer purchase and use of mobile technology, and through
the business' own technology operations. Addressing the e-waste
challenge remains one of MTN’s top three sustainability imperatives,
as required by and approved by MTN’s leadership.”
“Partnering with the private sector to address developmental issues
such as e-Waste is a crucial component of GIZ strategy for sustainable
development. This partnership represents an excellent example where
public and private sector bring together their relative strengths to
address a development issue and enable collective action. E-Waste is a
growing challenge in South Africa and Africa and if not jointly
addressed from both the public and private sectors will become an
overwhelming challenge,” says Ellen Kallinowsky Coordinator for GIZ
Centre for Cooperation with the Private Sector.

COACHES TASK STARCOMMS ON BOXING FACILITIES

Marveled by the consistent sponsorship of the Lagos State Boxing Hall of Fame monthly amateur boxing competition, boxing coaches in the state has task the sponsors of the event, Starcomms Plc for the provision of boxing facilities to enhance their career.
The coaches made the call at the March edition of the competition after the Starcomms Best Boxer Prize was presented to the winner, Sikiru Fatai of the Nigerian Police Boxing Club who fought in the 56 Kg category defeating Oliwo kazeem of Star Club to emerge the hero of the competition.
While congratulating the youngster for his victory in the competition, Victor Anyinka, a staff boxing coach in the Lagos State Sports Council said that it is high time that Starcomms consider doing something for coaches in the state.
According to him, Starcomms has demonstrated strong commitment to the development of the punching game in the state saying that a major thing that will make coaches in the state happy is the provision of boxing of facility.
For instance, Anyinka said that the state lacks boxing gymnasium for the training of boxers stressing that it will not be a bad idea if Starcomms provides one for the coaches.
He recalled that the Starcomms support of the monthly boxing event has brought out a lot of boxing talents in the likes of Taiwo Agbaje of Young Star Boxing Club, Modina Adeniyi of Champion Boxing Club and Taiwo Abiodun of No Shaking Boxing Club noting that neglecting the coaches will not do well for the sport.
While urging Starcomms to gracefully consider the request of the coaches, he that whatever Starcomms decides to do to assist coaches in the state will not be forgotten stating that boxing brought the first Olympic medal to the country, which still forms a reference point for the game.
Also, Wasiu Bisiriyu, an assistant boxing coach in the Lagos State Sports Council said that Starcomms efforts has salvaged a lot of youths in the state from criminal activities adding that coaches are happy that Starcomms has help to bring development to the sport.
According to him, before now all that the amateur boxers get at the end of the competition was a handshake noting that with the support of Starcomms they now go home with a lot of exciting gifts and prizes.
Bisiriyu who coaches Pioneer Boxing Club of Agege, however noted that attention is yet to be paid to the welfare of coaches in the state stressing that coaches also need some form of encouragement or support from Starcomms.
Similarly, Ibrahim Akinola, coach of the Ola-king Boxing Club said that Starcomms deserves recognition for their effort in boxing development adding that they too want to be given recognition for their coaching efforts.
Winner of the Starcomms best boxer prize said that he was grateful that Starcomms took interest in the boxing game noting that he attributes his success to their commitment to the sponsorship of the game.
The monthly boxing event, which is organized by the Lagos State Boxing Hall of Fame in conjunction with the Lagos Amateur Boxing Association and sponsored by Starcomms Plc takes place every last Saturday, at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Rowe Park, Yaba, Lagos.

MIPAN PRESIDENT ADVOCATES PARADIGM SHIFT IN MEDIA INVESTMENTS

President of Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya has advocated a paradigm shift in media investments in a bid for advertisers to maximize value in their media spend. Ogunkoya stated this recently in a paper entitled Modern Approach to Media Investments- a media specialist’s insight in Lagos .

He advocated that advertisers in the print media should buy impressions not insertions, for TV and radio gross rating points (GRPs) not just spots; for Outdoor of Home (OOH) unduplicated traffic not number of sites; for internet, impressions not days and for mobile, responses not database.

The MIPAN president said that media vehicle selection is the final step in the planning process and needed to be as objective and data led as possible because it is critical that the strategy considerations are carried forward to this stage.

Ogunkoya, who is also the managing director of MediaReach OMD, contended that pointers for media vehicle selection are AMPs, TV and radio diaries, internet and mobile traffic data and Out of Home (OOH) traffic estimates and foot fall information stores and malls.

He said key metrics that guide the media vehicle selection decision are in print, the reach of a publication in the target group; in television, reach of station, programme GRPs and time spent on programme; in radio, the reach of station, time band GRPs, radio jingle popularity and value ads among others.

The president stated that mobile applications were an emerging advertising opportunity and needed to be benchmarked using direct response return on investment metrics like per unit cost of customer acquisition and average return per user among others.

Also speaking at the seminar, Mr. Kevin Ejiofor, managing director of City 105.1FM Radio in his paper entitled Modern Approach to broadcast media selling: Lessons from research, said let research become an industry-wide responsibility as a matter of life and death.

He defined research as the search for knowledge, or any systematic investigation, with an open mind, to establish novel facts, usually a scientific method.

Ejiofor said some of the lessons that would be derived from research are openness, accountability through participation and principle of common interest.

He said democratization of research would sanitise the results of research, separate myths from facts, end disputations and the compilation of reliable statistics to aid effective planning.

He urged stakeholders to pay close attention to offering quantifiable value to the industry through democratization of research.

Speaking from the perspective of an advertiser, Mr. Kolawole Oyeyemi, a general manager with MTN said media platform that would be an advertiser’s must demonstrate excellent and measurable impact of the message on the desired target customer of the advertiser.

It should also present itself as a brand engagement platform and not as an impersonal static platform and should optimally deliver good returns on investment and not seen as cost centre to the business.

Google to invest $5 million in IT infrastructure in Africa

It swift response to the need improve information technoogy infrastructure in Africa, Google has pledged to help digitise archives of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu and to facilitate Internet infrastructure in Nigeria tertiary institutions.
Google pledged a $1,25 million grant to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, housed at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, that will help to preserve and give unprecedented digital access to thousands of archival documents, photographs, and audio-visual materials about the life and times of Nelson Mandela.
Google’s grant will assist in expanding the online Mandela archive and make it available to the global audiences, scholars and researchers in the future.

In addition to significant audio-visual materials, the online multimedia archive will include Mr. Mandela’s letters and correspondence with family, comrades and friends; prison diaries; and notes he made

while leading the negotiations that led to the end of apartheid in South
Africa.
A grant of the same size has also been made to the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre in Cape Town, for the documentation and digitisation of Desmond Tutu’s archives, and an interactive digital learning centre.
Commenting on the initiative, Luke Mckend, Country Manager for Google South Africa said, “Google wants to help bring the world’s historical heritage online, and the Internet offers new ways to preserve and share this information. Our grants to the Nelson Mandela Centre and to the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre will facilitate new digital archives for South
Africa’s past, giving the global public an unprecedented opportunity to
engage with the history of some of the most extraordinary leaders of our time. We are also delighted to be announcing additional grants which will help many more people across South Africa and Africa access the Internet and benefit from access to information”.
Google today also announced three other grants also made through the Google Inc.Charitable Giving Fund of Tides Foundation. Amongst the grantees is the Nigeria ICT Forum . A $500,000 grant has been made to support efforts in improving access to Internet infrastructure in tertiary education institutions in Nigeria.
The Nigeria ICT Forum is an initiative of the Nigerian Caucus (a joint
meeting of the Vice-Chancellors and ICT Coordinators) of the six Partnership Nigerian Universities. Its mandate is to develop ICT-based
capacity for strengthening Research and Higher Education Institutions
(HEIs); Facilitate and nurture collaboration between HEIs to cultivate
a favourable policy environment; develop, utilise and sustain ICT networks, services and shared resources consistent with institutional roles as focus for development.
Commenting on the grant, the board secretary of the Nigeria ICT Forum, Mr. Nasir Bello stated: “We are delighted with the grant to Nigerian ICT Forum, which supports our goals to nurture the building of vibrant e-communities through training, innovation and partnerships.

It will support the efforts in developing the community around shared Internet infrastructure, greatly reducing cost and therefore barriers to

affordable connectivity in tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria”.

STARCOMMS OFFERS FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND JOBS ON PHONE

Starcomms Plc, the listening network, has introduced another innovation for the convenience of the customers. This is a value added service for job-seekers especially young graduates and experienced professionals who seek new employments. Aptly titled Jobs-on-phone, it is a personalized voice based job portal, which helps Starcomms customers to seek new employment or recruitments through their Starcomms fixed or mobile phones.
In recent times, Starcomms customers have been asking for solutions to the difficulty they experience regarding employment opportunities. Job vacancies appear in most cases in the newspapers or on the Internet, both of which have limited circulation, time frame and user groups.
Speaking on the novel idea of Jobs on Phone, the chief commercial officer of Starcomms Tushar Maheshwari said that the huge opportunity that the service presents is part of the commitment of Starcomms to listen and proffer solutions to the teeming customers
“The service is designed as a portal, which links employees with prospective employers. It is a service that can be easily accessed by all mobile and fixed Starcomms customers anytime, anywhere, thus providing a large-scale database of jobseekers. It is unique in the sense that it has diversity and a readily available database of jobseekers from different strata of the society rather than just in the newspapers or the Internet. It is very interactive and fast,” Maheshwari said.
To use Starcomms Jobs-on-phone service a customer will dial the service code, *32640 to register and create their profile in the voice data base. The required data will include information like age, gender, location, qualifications and experience, As soon as a vacancy exists that matches the profile of the customer, they will be notified on their Starcomms phones via SMS. The customer is then expected to dial into the service to listen to the job openings and respond to the advertisement.
After this, the profile of the job seekers will be sent to the recruiter. The recruiter listens to the voice profiles of the job seekers and invites those that fit their requirements for test or interview. The recruiter at this stage can call the candidate directly.

Juwah task Subscribers on complaints about network failure

Juwah task Subscribers on complaints about network failure

Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah, has asked Nigerian telecom subscribers to report complaints directly to the Commission whenever any operator refuses to satisfy their desires for effective service delivery.

Dr. Juwah who spoke at the Telecom Consumer Parliament, hosted by the Commission, NCC, at the Lagos Country Club Ikeja, at the weekend, said this was the reason why the Commission now operates a second level customer care center which allows customers to call directly at no cost.

“Because the customer is king, we at NCC will always ensure that you get value for whatever services you are paying for” he said in apparent response to complaints about poor level of customer care across all the networks.

Coming days to Consumer Rights Day on 15th March 2011, Dr. Juwah said “while celebrating the consumers we should be mindful of their interests that we are all supposed to protect. Consumer interests cover the rights, privileges and obligations which should be given priority attention by the stakeholders”.

At the 61st Edition of the parliament which focused on the upcoming SIM card registration, Dr. Juwah listed the consumer rights which the Commission has passion to protect to include right to safety, right to choose, right to redress, right to be heard, right to consumer education, right to be informed, right to a healthy environment, and right to satisfaction of basic needs.

“The protection of consumer rights as listed above is not only the responsibility of the Commission but all the stakeholders including the consumers themselves.

“ While the Commission will continue to provide a conducive environment to all the stakeholders to enjoy their rights and benefits, it is necessary that we play our parts to ensure success in this endeavour”, he said, reassuring consumers of telecom services in Nigeria to be alert to their rights.

He urged the operators to take customer complaints seriously as the Commission will not hesitate to be on the side of the subscribers when they are right.

On the nationwide SIM card registration, to be embarked upon by the Commission, Dr. Juwah indicated that the hold on the implementation was deliberate to allow for the conclusion of the INEC registration, and that when the Commission begins SIM registration, enough awareness will be created using all available media of mass communications to achieve widespread awareness.

A panel discussion about the impending SIM card registration in Nigeria by the Commission, moderated by Dr. Idika Ochaa, an ICT expert, concluded that the registration is very vital to national and individual securities and urged subscribers to promptly present themselves for registration, without let or hindrance.

STARCOMMS APPOINTS COO, CFO

In a bid to strengthen its management in the highly competitive telecommunication industry, the board of Starcomms Plc, has approved the appointments of two new top management staff.

They are Logan Pather, chief operating officer and David Ordman as chief financial officer. Starcomms is Nigeria’s only publicly quoted telecommunications company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). Its shares were listed on July 14, 2008.

Pather has had a range of senior management positions spanning over 25 years in the telecommunication industry. An MBA holder, he had worked in several telecom companies in Africa.

A former managing director of Roamwave Africa, Pather who was responsible for 20 African countries is bringing with him a wealth of experience to add to the fortunes of Starcomms. He was also responsible for setting up the organization in South Africa.

His career is highlighted by a strong in-depth knowledge and exposure across all core business functions such as finance, sales, marketing, human resources and customer service operations.

Pather, who also holds a Diploma in Business Management, has worked in Nortel Southern Africa and Telecel – Zambia as managing director responsible for operational strategy and growth.

David Ordman, an engineer who also holds an MBA, is armed with a wealth of experience of over 18 years in various sectors in the world to bear on the fortunes of Starcomms.

A former finance director within the EMAAR, (the Economic City in Saudi Arabia), Ordman had the responsibility for all aspects of finance within the utilities and telecoms division of the company, delivering multi-utility solution within King Abdullah Economic city, a $2billion mega project.

Also in his previous work experience, he had worked as chief financial officer in United Utilities Plc of Estonia and Bulgaria as well as Millicom International of Pakistan.

An alumnus of the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, Ordman who studied Civil Engineering and trained with Price Waterhouse Cooper holds an Order of Merit from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. He got his MBA from the London Business School, United Kingdom and Columbia Business School, United States of America.

MTN Foundation spends N5b on book project

MTN Foundation, the corporate social investment vehicle of Nigeria’s leading telecommunications company, MTN Nigeria has spent over N5 billion since 2004 and continues to budget billions of naira towards execution of a variety of initiatives geared at enhancing the lives of millions of Nigerians.

This revelation was made by the Corporate Services Executive, MTN and a Director of the Foundation, Mr Wale Goodluck, at the official launch of the Foundation’s 132-page view book, which captures the activities of the Foundation’s activities through the eyes and voices of a few of its beneficiaries.

A highly visual publication, it presents a compelling perspective of the impact that the MTN Foundation on the lives of ordinary Nigerians in a very moving fashion.

The launch, which took place at the Civic Centre in Lagos on Friday, March 11, 2011 brought together the crème de la crème of the society to celebrate the milestones recorded by the MTN Foundation since inception.

According to the Chairman, MTN Foundation, Ambassador Hamzat Ahmadu, the book entitled ‘A Hand and a Smile’ is a physical documentation of the scope and successes of the Foundation’s activities across the country, using the stories and testimonies of some of the beneficiaries, as well as images that speak for themselves.

He said the Foundation was set up in 2004 with a mission to improve the quality of life in the society. “From the onset, we spelt out our focus areas - Education, Health and Economic empowerment. These we believe, hold the key to sustainable socio-economic growth and impact in our country and we go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that our present and future projects have a dramatic and transformative effect in communities all over the country.

We do this in partnership with Federal and State governments, private, public and civil society organisations,” he said.

Ambassador Ahmadu said the Foundation continuously explores new ways through which it can expand its operations, widen its activities and deepen its impact in the communities, thereby tackling real issues and touching real lives documented in the book.

“The View Book is a bold attempt to capture through the medium of pictures and the testimony of numerous beneficiaries just how the Foundation has touched lives. It shows that our impact goes beyond statistics and has a very personal story to tell”, said Ahmadu.

Mr Goodluck in his own remarks, said MTN’s philosophical belief is that the long term success of MTN’s business is inextricably linked to the viability of the society in which the company operates.

According to him, the Foundation has established a foot print in all the 36 states of our country including the FCT, with 20 projects being implemented in 292 project sites in partnership with over 30 different project partners over the years.

Some of the people whose testimonies and images were captured in the book include beneficiaries of the MTNF SchoolsConnect, Rural Telephone Project, and Partners against AIDS in the Community project (PAAC) which later evolved into Partners against Malaria and AIDS in the Community project (PAMAC).

Others are UniversitiesConnect, Disability Support Project, the Science and Technology Scholarship Scheme,Medical Support project, and the Medical intervention project.

In his remarks, the book reviewer, Mr. Frank Aigbogun, Publisher of BusinessDay, said the book is a portrait that speaks eloquently of MTN Foundation’s success stories in three core areas of health, education and economic empowerment.

ADVERTISING INVESTMENT TO HIT N120BN IN 2011

Above the line (ATL) media investment which hit N80 billion in 2010 is projected to increase to N120 billion this year, representing about 90 per cent of overall marketing spend.

Mr. Olayiwola Afolabi, managing director of Media Planning Services Limited (MPN) disclosed this in Lagos recently while presenting a paper entitled Modern Approach to Media Investment -researcher’s insight, at a one-day media industry seminar organised by Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) in conjunction with Zus Bureau and Media Planning Services.

He noted that practitioners - marketers, advertising and media agencies - have been slow to accept that the old models to media Investments, many of them created more than fifty years ago, are no longer applicable to the new consumer media world.

Afolabi observed that in industry discussions with leading advertising and media agencies, media owners, content providers, market researchers and advertisers, one major factor stands out as the fundamental issue to media investment approach – data access and usage.

He contended that all stakeholders involved in media channel strategy either have access to significant amounts of unique/proprietary data (data silos) or have knowledge/experience (individual silos) that is deployed as part of their communication delivery process.

He defined media investment as the act of investing; laying out money or capital on media channels with the expectation of reaching media audience cost effectively or how much to spend on media as well as how to allocate the spending across various media and the researcher as somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systemic investigation to establish facts, adding that researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.

Also speaking, Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya, president of MIPAN who in his paper gave a specialist insight on modern approach to media investments noted that significant cynicism exist in the advertiser mind about the value delivered by media advertising, adding that in today’s media industry, media planning and buying is critical to the advertiser’s business.
While highlighting the role of the media in the marketing decision process at the seminar, which was attended by representatives from media houses, advertisers, advertising and media agencies, he said that marketing objectives must define what needs to be achieved.
He also said that advertising objectives should also define what advertising must d to fulfill marketing objectives.
Also speaking at the seminar, Mr. Kevin Ejiofor, managing director of City 105.1FM Radio in his paper entitled Modern Approach to broadcast media selling: Lessons from research, said let research become an industry-wide responsibility as a matter of life and death.
He defined research as the search for knowledge, or any systematic investigation, with an open mind, to establish novel facts, usually a scientific method.
Ejiofor said some of the lessons that would be derived from research are openness, accountability through participation and principle of common interest.
He said democratization of research would sanitise the results of research, separate myths from facts, end disputations and the compilation of reliable statistics to aid effective planning.
He urged stakeholders to pay close attention to offering quantifiable value to the industry through democratization of research.
Speaking from the perspective of an advertiser, Mr. Kolawole Oyeyemi, a general manager with MTN said media platform that would be an advertiser’s delight must demonstrate excellent and measurable impact of the message on the desired target customer of the advertiser.
It should also present itself as a brand engagement platform and not as an impersonal static platform and should optimally deliver good returns on investment and not seen as cost centre to the business.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Chris Doghudje MD, Zus Bureau said the seminar was intended to provide a new direction in the optimization of media budget because globally, there is convergence of media.
He noted that newspapers’ circulation was dwindling and media has become very expensive, especially the print media, adding that there is need for content development to attract the target audience.
For Mr. Kole Ademelekun, President Association of Outdoor Advertising Practitioners there is need to gather adequate data for research purposes.

He said government agencies were driving outdoor rates up while operators are restricted to commission and stressed the need for outdoor advertising to be flexible.

STARCOMMS PRIZES INSPIRE MORE YOUNGSTERS INTO BOXING

A young pugilist in the Lagos Amateur Boxing Association, Taiwo Abiodun, who won the Starcomms Over-all Best Boxer prize at the 18th edition of the Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame boxing competition has said that more young boxers who quit the punching game has returned to the boxing ring.
Abiodun, a 15 years-old student of Blessing College, Ijokoro and amember of the No Shaking Boxing Club, who fought and defeatedOgunyemi Razak of Paramount Boxing Club in the Cadet category saidthat the Starcomms prize has continued to draw them back to thesport which they had long abandoned.
While speaking on the secret of his success, the young boxer who began to box two years ago said that the commitment of Starcomms in the monthly boxing event played a formidable role in the returning of more youngsters to boxing adding that he has Starcomms to thank for the level of skills he has achieved so far.
According to him, he has a strong passion for the boxing sport notingthat the prize he saw other boxers win every month of the show fueledhis passion to attain great heights in boxing.
While appreciating the unflagging support of Starcomms for the game,he said it is a thing of great joy to him to see a lot of people swanaround him as the hero of the day noting that it was the first time ofexperiencing what it feels like to be a winner in the sport he lovesso much.
Another winner in the February fight, Mutiu Gbadebo of Agege PioneerBoxing Club who fought in the 69 kg category defeating his opponent,Sakiru Ishola of Smart Boxing Club also said that Starcomms has support has brought more young boxers to the game.
The 29 years-old boxer who has been boxing for the past seven yearssaid that the sponsorship of Starcomms has helped to improve hisboxing skills saying that he will want the telecomm operator tocontinue in its good works.
According to Gbadebo, it is the commitment of Starcomms to the monthly event that has brought fame to many amateur boxers saying that it has also helped to keep young people from criminal activities since they now channel their youthful energy to the sport.
The monthly boxing event, which is organized by the Lagos State Boxing Hall of Fame in conjunction with the Lagos Amateur Boxing Association and sponsored by Starcomms Plc takes place every last Saturday, at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Rowe Park, Yaba, Lagos.

Nigerian Mobile Economy Forum 2011 gets new date

With the stage now set for the inaugural edition of the forum designed to leverage and enhance the mobile platform for economic activities in Nigeria, organizers of the event, Private Media Mart Limited has announced the official date and venue for the event. The event, aptly titled Nigeria Mobile Economy Forum (NiMEF) 2011, seeks to provide answers and solutions to the huge dearth of local Mobile Content in the Nigerian telecommunications scene despite our huge Mobile market – both potential and actual and with recent investments in bandwidth.
Focusing on the theme, Economic Transformation Using Mobile Innovations, the eagerly awaited NiMEF 2011 will now be holding on the 31st of March 2011 at the prestigious De Renaissance, Ikeja, Lagos from 9.00am. Confirming this recently, the managing partner and chief executive officer of the major organizing firm, Private Media Mart Limited (PMM Nigeria), Mr. Ejiofor Agada explained that the slight delay in announcing the official date for the event was borne out of their usual practice of confirming participants and attendees for any of their events before making it public.
His words: “With the confirmation of attendance and support from industry bodies like Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and the Nigerian IT Development Agency (NITDA), we are confident that this event will achieve its desired objective of delivering realistic processes for mobile business in Nigeria”.
According to Mr. Agada, at almost 100 million strong subscriber base, the Nigerian Mobile market is the fastest growing in the world, yet in terms of content (applications, usage, etc) it still ranks among the very least in the world. It is based on this trend that PMM Nigeria, in collaboration with Tribe Media and IT Edge Magazine decided to use the NiMEF medium to analyze and showcase the potentials of a market like Nigeria, with its huge potentials, business guidelines, regulations and protections as well as encouragements that are needed to jump-start this previously untapped economy base.
Citing the exciting phenomena in other high mobile-user rate economies around the world where the mobile platform has been used to deploy economic activities like Banking, Ticketing, Loyalty schemes, Gaming, Navigation, Education, and Entertainment, it is strange that such activities are not carried out in Nigeria, and even where it is done, there are no proper regulation by any agency.
Mr. Agada also observed that even though the Nigerian market ranks highest in market value for most phone manufacturers, “not a single locally developed application is running in any mobile phone in Nigeria” he said. It is to correct this trend and point the right way forward for existing and potential Mobile Business entrepreneurs that NiMEF 2011 was designed” he concluded.
NiMEF 2011 is currently attracting the attention of private sector telecommunication and Banking sector players and is meant to be a full-day event.

ATCON endorses Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum

Umbrella body of telecommunications companies in the country, theAssociation of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has endorsedthe Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum scheduled to hold later this month in Lagos.The Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum, which focus is on the Internet Governanceand development in the country is an annual event put together byLagos-based DigitalSENSE Africa.Conveying this latest news at the weekend, the Executive Secretary, ATCON,Mr. Ajibola Olude in a letter signed and dated February 26, 2011, andaddressed to the Executive Director, DigitalSENSE Africa, noted that thegroup decided to pronounce its support for the forum due to its laudableinitiative.“Please accept the commendation and endorsement of our association on thislaudable initiative,” he declared.Also, Olude promised that ATCON would mobilize its membership by encouragingthem to lend their individual support to DigitalSENSE forum, so as to ensurethe grand success of the forum, scheduled for March 24, 2011.He noted that ATCON) as a professional, non-profit umbrella organisation ofall telecommunication companies in Nigeria, since December 10, 1993, is anational trade organisation, with membership drawn from Nigeria andmulti-national companies which provide telecommunications and informationtechnology products and services in the country.Reacting to the endorsement by ATCON, the Executive Director, Operations atDigitalSENSE Africa Media, the organizers of the forum, Mrs. NkemdilimNweke, said it’s heart-warming, just as the endorsement came a few weeks tothe event.This year, she said, plans have been advanced to ensure that the quality ofspeakers and participants improve.So far, she reiterated that the event to be presided over by the immediatepast president of ATCON, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, has its main theme centered onInternet Governance and Broadband Evolution in Nigeria and has beenscheduled to hold at the popular Golden Gate Paradise, Ikoyi-Lagos.She also said that 2011 edition of the annual event would witness thecurrent second vice president, ATCON, Mr. Adewale Jones, as speaker as wellas a Senior Teaching Fellow in International Trade Law with the School ofOriental and African Studies, University of London, Dr. Nnaemeka Ewelukwa,who has confirmed his participation at this year’s Nigeria DigitalSENSEForum (NDSF) among others.The Nigeria DigitalSENSE Africa forum is an initiative of RemnekKommunications Ventures, a registered group of media public relationsexperts, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) analysts andconsultants.NDS forum is on its third edition and has been presided over in the last twosessions by pioneer chief protagonist at Linkserve Group, Chief ChimaOnyekwere, while last year saw the president of Internet Service Providersof Nigeria (ISPAN), Chief Sam Adeleke steering the forum.

THE WINE LOVERS LAUD FOUR COUSINS WINE INTRODUCTION

The feeling and experience of the richness of an outstanding wine brand can only be felt in the taste. That was the experience of wine lovers at the first public out of Four Cousins wine at two separate events in Lagos. The wine lover at the last Val Nite laud The Winery Limited, marketers of Four Cousins Wine for bringing the South African wine to Nigeria. The Val Nite, which was hosted by The Winery Limited in partnership with Backstage Entertainment fête lovers in an exciting evening event tagged: Four Cousins Nite at Val.The event, which gave lovers of rich quality wine the opportunity to taste and savour the exciting rich nature of the South African made wine was produced by Stanley Eziefule and held at Paddy’s Lounge, Yaba, Lagos and at De Marquee, Mega Plaza Victoria Island had in attendance wine lovers from all works of life.While speaking on the rational of a special Valentines Nite for its customers, Managing Director of The Winery, Mr. Charles Obi said that The Winery is a company that takes special interest in the life style of its customers noting that it will always create and use every opportunity for lovers of good and quality wine to feel the rich taste of Four Cousins wine.Describing the Four Cousins Wine as one of South Africa’s best sellers he said that the Four Cousins wine is a real South African favourite that is always there with the good times whether with the family, friends or lovers thereby creating great memories that are not easily forgotten.The Four Cousins Wine according to him enhances any meal, picnic, celebration and it is available in 750ml and 1.5litres and that it comes in sparkling white, pink and red range noting that there are the Extra Light White, Light Natural Sweet Rose, Natural Sweet White, Dry Red, Sweet Rose and Natural Sweet Red.The Four Cousins wine, Obi disclosed was launched into the Nigerian market last year saying that in South Africa, Four Cousins has been very successful due to the ability of the brand to appeal to all spheres of South Africa's complex demographic wine market stressing that during the past summer months, Four Cousins outsells Coca-Cola in a large supermarket in the black township of Soweto.He also said that the Four Cousins wine brand has the potential to appeal to young adults adding that the Four Cousins Val Nite put up by The Winery was an indication of the fact that the brand has cut a niche for its self in the wine market of Nigeria.While commenting on the support of The Wine Company for the hosting of the Val Nite at Paddy’s Lounge, the producer of the show, Mr. Stanley Eziefule said that the turn out at the event and the comment of wine lovers after tasting Four Cousins Wine was an indication that the brand has come to stay.

Tolu Ogunkoya, President Media Independents Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) and Chris Doghudje, Managing Director, Zus Bureau Services during a joint press conference announcing the forthcoming seminar on Modern Techniques in Media Investments co-organized by MIPAN,Zus Bureau and Media Planning held at Media Reach Corporate Office, Ikeja, Lagos on February 24,2011.

ALCATEL-LUCENT UNVEILS UNIVERSAL BROADBAND COVERAGE TECHNOLOGY

The looming global gridlock in mobile communications promises to be averted following the launch of pioneering technology, which will remove the bottlenecks constraining mobile networks and help deliver universal broadband coverage.
Alcatel-Lucent, the leading network technology group has joined forces with industry partners to develop lightRadio, a new system that signals the end of the mobile industry’s reliance on masts and base stations around the world.
Ben Verwaayen, Chief Executive Officer of Alcatel-Lucent, said: “Today’s and tomorrow’s demands for coverage and capacity require a breakthrough in mobile communications.”
According to him, “lightRadio will signal the end of the basestation and the cell tower as we know it today”, adding that governments and regulatory bodies are expected to welcome the technical development, which will help meet targets for universal broadband access by laying the foundation to address the so-called “digital divide.”
He disclosed that some other major benefits from lightRadio include the shrinking the carbon footprint of mobile networks by over 50%, reduction of the Total-Cost-of-Ownership of mobile operators by up to 50%, and improving end user services by significantly increasing bandwidth per user thanks to the deployment of small antennas everywhere
Wim Sweldens, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s Wireless Division said: “lightRadio will help mobile operators evolve their networks to address the mobile broadband deluge.”
The lightRadio represents a new approach where the base station, typically located at the base of each cell site tower, is broken into its components elements and then distributed into both the antenna and throughout a cloud-like network.
LightRadio also shrinks today’s clutter of antennas serving 2G, 3G, and LTE systems into a single powerful, Bell Labs-pioneered antenna that can be mounted on poles, sides of buildings or anywhere else there is power and a broadband connection.
The innovation coincides with growing demand for third-and-fourth generation mobile networks and devices, involving the mass adoption of wireless television services and other forms of broadband content. The total addressable market for the radio technology necessary to serve such networks and devices is expected to exceed €100bn[1] over the next seven years.
[1] This is the total addressable market for multi-technology radio solutions that consist of radio access base stations that simultaneously support 2G, 3G, and LTE, and multiple frequencies in the same platform

Left to Right: Deputy Governor, Lagos State, Princess Adebisi Sarah Sosan; CEO/MD, Airtel Nigeria, Rajan Swaroop; Regulatory Affairs Director, Airtel Nigeria, Osondu Nwokoro and Director, Legal, Airtel Nigeria, Ibirobo Adekola during a courtesy visit to the governor recently in Ikeja, Lagos.

VISAFONE PLANS BIG FOR CUSTOMERS AT VALENTINE

As the joy and excitement of Valentine celebration fills the air, VISAFONE has rolled out an initiative to extend love to couples, friends and family members on the network with a view to sharing an unforgettable Valentine experiences.
Tagged; Passport to Love, the initiative is planned by Visafone to reward its subscribers (both new and existing) with exciting and mouth watering prizes.
By texting the word LOVE to 35100, each customer gets 15 counts of SMS for both on-net and off-net use and an additional reward- the opportunity to win an all expense paid trip to Dubai, N50, 000 cash prize for 30 and Fadar 827C phones for 50 people.
Mr. Clifford Onyeike, the company’s DGM Marketing and Strategy, said “Visafone is using this period of world-known social celebration to express love to Nigerians and further create a platform for empowerment. This is another way to demonstrate our commitment to continually add value to the lives of our customers.”
Explaining further, Onyeike spoke on how subscribers can participate and win in the scheme, “All the subscriber need to do is simply send a SMS to a short code -35100. After sending the text, customers will be required to answer few short and simple questions and gets an instant 15 counts of SMS as reward each time whether the question was answered correctly or not. Apart from giving customers SMS value, they additionally get an opportunity of winning any of the designated prizes.
He disclosed that prizes will be presented to winners at the end of the exercise while also urging customers to take advantage provided by the initiative, “This is a wonderful opportunity for Nigerians to truly share love this Valentine and it is certainly going to be a memorable one.”
It would be recalled that last year, VISAFONE engaged in a similar initiative, where it gave out lots of prizes like 2.5 kva generators, LCD televisions, Washing machines, free airtime, Home theaters and CK music phones to subscribers, thus making the Valentine celebration a memorable one for them.
This year’s Valentine initiative is scheduled to run from February 1 – March 2nd, 2011.
Visafone is known for its programmes that reward its customers, apart from giving them value for money through attractive tariffs and excellent voice and data quality.

KUDUS ADELEKE, STARCOMMS BOXING HERO UNVIELS SECRET OF VICTORY

Kudus Adeleke, the first amateur boxer in 2011 to be crowed the Starcomms over-all best in the Lagos State Boxing Hall of Fame Boxing Competition has said that determination and perseverance gave him the highly converted Starcomms Boxing hero title.Adeleke, an amateur from Lagelu Boxing Club of Lagos who fought with Adeola Olabisi of Costain Boxing Club in the 56 KG category said that he joined the boxing club in 2009 with the determination to become a boxer hero. And the monthly competition, which is organized by Lagos State Boxing Hall of Fame in conjunction with the Lagos Amateur Boxing Association and sponsored by Starcomms Plc, gave him the platform to achieve his dream.Expressing his appreciation to Starcomms for creating the opportunity that made him a boxing hero, he said that he was happy that Starcomms is the channel through which that dream become true saying that he will want to retain the title in the next month’s fight.The young boxer who was adjudged the Starcomms all-over best boxer by a combined team of judges for his gallant display of boxing skills said that the involvement of Starcomms in the discovering of young talents like him in the boxing sports is a laudable stride that will help develop the sport noting that he is glad that he is a Starcomms hero.While reacting to the news of the latest winner of the Starcomms over all best boxer in the competition, the chief commercial officer of Starcomms, Tushar Maheshwari disclosed that it is one of Starcomms way of giving back to the society stressing that Starcomms is a company that listens to the people.He pledged that Starcomms will continue to give his support to ensure the regular hosting of the competition noting Starcomms is committed to anything that will improve the lot of the society noting that the competition is just one of such Starcomms expression of its desire for societal development.

STARCOMMS INTRODUCES FIRST OF ITS KIND MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Starcomms Plc has introduced a new marketing communications campaign that strongly re-affirms that its customers are the core of its business interest.Innovatively crafted to become a corporate philosophy, the new campaign with the slogan “listen to the network that is listening to you” is a campaign that has been embedded into the business and work style of all Starcomms personnel, cutting across all staff levels.According to the chief commercial officer of Starcomms, Tushar Maheshwari, the new marketing campaign is an expression of the value that Starcomms places on his customers noting that “this is not just a campaign that will be there for a few months or a year, it is a campaign that will be imbibed by all Starcomms personnel and thereby becomes a philosophy in our work ethics, particularly in how we respond to the needs of our customers”.Describing the new campaign as a brand refreshing concept, he said that “Starcomms as a brand has been in the mindset of telecoms service consumers for a long time, and enjoys significant awareness in their mind” stressing that “it is as a result of the many innovative and customer friendly products and services we have introduced into the market in the past.”Maheshwari however observed that the new campaign,which is meant to refresh the mind of the consumer about the value of the Starcomms brand, is not a rebranding of Starcomms saying that the Starcomms brand is a brand that inspires every consumer to be passionate about it.For instance, he said that “many customers are passionate about the philosophy of the talking drum, and that is part of “we speak your language” campaign, adding that “the new campaign does not take away the philosophy of the talking drum. It still remains relevant today as it was yesterday.”He said that “the campaign is the result of a study that was conduct long ago, whereby it was revealed that Starcomms is indeed a brand that listens to the consumer. And when the result came we felt that it was time for us to introduce a new campaign to re-vitalized the brand and to re-invent the brand by adding to what the brand already have and thereby take it forward.”According to him, a Nigerian singer, Nneka, will be the face of the brand in the new campaign, which will feature in newspaper, billboard and fliers across the country stating that the new campaign cuts across every sector of the society.He said that the campaign is key to Starcomms desire to meet the needs of its customers stressing that that hence, every personnel in the company has been taken through the theme of the campaign so that they will know how to listen to the consumer when the need arises.He further said that the new campaign is a demonstration of the innovativeness of Starcomms in the industry stating that “we have had a lot of campaign in the industry which has been spearheaded by us. One of them is the N10 international call rate, which has become common in the industry”.He also said Starcomms IZAP router was never advertised in the media, yet it has sold very well while the recently introduced myPAD has recorded phenomenal consumer response.

Nigerian Internet Regulatory Body Gets New Head

The Executive Board of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) has approved the appointment of Mr. Sola Bickersteth as the first Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the registry.
NIRA is the custodian of the nation’s country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) .ng on behalf of the Nigerian internet community since its formation in 2005.
The President of NIRA, Mrs. Mary Uduma, disclosed this after handing over the offer letter of employment to Mr. Bickersteth at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja at the weekend.
She said that the offer letter signed by her and the company of the chairman, Establishment Committee of NIRA, Mr. Sekiri Shehu Mohammed has been given to Mr. Bickersteth on behalf of the organisation.
She expressed delight on the development, saying it’s a landmark step by NIRA with the support of the Internet community in the country.
Also, she said that this was an actualization of part of the cardinal promise of the present board after it’s inauguration in August last year; to transform NIRA as a world class organisation in the management of .ng.
Mrs. Uduma said that the new COO, Bickersteth would resume duty on Thursday, January 10, 2011.
“I wish to thank the Chairman Establishment Committee and his members for job well done. I also wish to thank all for the constructive contributions to the perfect the exercise. Congratulations to the Board and to Sola,” she declared.
She noted that the emergence of Bickersteth as the COO was heavily contested by two other contenders.
In his remark, Mr. Bickersteth said he was excited to be found worthy to occupy the position of COO of NiRA and the first at that.
“I am extremely humbled by your endorsement and do not take it for granted ....” he asserted.
Bickersteth also promised to put in his best effort towards helping NIRA to achieve its goal of a world class organization that the Executive Board will be proud of.
While soliciting for the continuous support of the board, he noted that without their increased support , “there is very little that I can achieve.”
In addition, he solicited for the advice, reprimand, suggestions and prayers to make the effort worthwhile for all members of the Nigerian Internet community.“Your time, service and contributions to NIRA shall not be in vain and it shall also be to the benefit our nation and indeed generations to come,” he prayed.

Mobile Clinic Nurse, Forgiveness Charles (L), weighs a baby at Kokona in Garaku LGA of Nasarawa State, the weekend during the arrival of Pampers Mobile Clinic, a CSR initiative of Procter & Gamble West Africa going through rural and Semi urban communities to give free medical consultations to young mothers who may not easily be served by hospitals.

STARCOMMS REWARDS BOXING HERO

It was a day of double celebration for youthful boxer, Taiwo Agbaje who was adjudged the Starcomms overall best boxer in the Lagos State Boxing Hall of Fame Boxing Competition for the month of December as he had the honour of receiving his prize from the governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola for displaying unmatched skills.Agbaje, an amateur boxer in the 56KG category from Young Star Boxing Club, Lagos who also won the governor’s belt applauded Starcomms commitment to boxing development in the country thanking Starcomms for its regular sponsorship of the competition.The Starcomms overall best prize recipient was full of excitement and jubilation as his fans raised him shoulder high running round the indoor hall of Mobolaji Johnson Sports Complex, Rowe Park, Lagos, venue of the competition.In his appreciation remark, Agbaje said he was excited about the double honour saying that the honour was not just for him alone but for the Fashola administration that created the platform and Starcomms which makes sure that the competition holds every last Saturday of the month, although the December edition was held on boxing day, December 26, 2010.Excited about the level of commitment of Starcomms to grassroots boxing development in the state, the Starcomms boxing hero said that he was extremely happy that Starcomms involvement in boxing sponsorship has helped to bring him double honour noting that he is proud to be a double winner of an outstanding and a winning brand. He further said that the double honour, which came to him from Starcomms and the governor, is a sign that the investment of Starcomms in the development of grassroots boxing is yielding fruits.