TheNewsGuru

Tag: Isa Pantami

  • Strike: ASUU cautions NITDA against jeopardizing efforts on UTAS

    Strike: ASUU cautions NITDA against jeopardizing efforts on UTAS

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has cautioned the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to stop making comments capable of jeopardizing efforts so far made on the deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for the payment of university lecturers in the country.

    President of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke gave the caution in a statement on Sunday as the union met to determine its position on the one month warning strike it embarked on since February 14th and which elapses on Monday.

    According to Osodeke, the NITDA misled the public when its Director General, Kashifu Inuwa and the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami recently told the public that the UTAS failed an integrity test.

    The ASUU President stressed in the statement that on the contrary, there are evidence that the UTAS at the end of the test all, without exception, expressed satisfaction with the payment platform as a suitable solution for salary payment in Nigerian universities.

    The statement reads: “The one-month roll-over strike declared by our Union on 14th February, 2022, has entered the fourth week.

    “During this period, we have been having engagements with the government over the contending issues that necessitated the action. One of the contending issues is the deployment of University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) which is a robust software created by ASUU Technical group to manage personnel and payroll in the university system.

    “The Federal Government had referred UTAS to NITDA (National Information Technology Development Agency) to conduct User Acceptance Test (UAT) and Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Test (VAPT) prior to the final deployment. The process, which commenced on Thursday, 3rd March, 2022, is still on-going.

    “This press statement is necessitated by the need for ASUU to put the records straight on the grounds already covered in our patriotic struggle to get the government to deploy UTAS as a suitable solution for salary payment in our university system.

    “Of particular concern to us is the statement credited to both the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy and Director General, NITDA to the effect that UTAS has failed the integrity test.

    “Let us put it on record that an integrity test was carried out by NITDA on 10th August, 2021 in NUC where relevant government agencies and all the end-users in the University system were present.

    “At the end of the exercise, all, without exception, expressed satisfaction with UTAS as a suitable solution for salary payment in our universities. This was attested to by the report coming from NITDA then to the effect that UTAS scored 85% in User Acceptance Test (UAT).

    “However, in a curious twist of submission, the NITDA Technical Team, after conducting a comprehensive functionality test came out to say that out of 687 test cases, 529 cases were satisfactory, 156 cases queried, and 2 cases were cautioned.

    “Taking this report on its face value, the percentage score is 77%. The question that arises from this is can 77% in any known fair evaluation system be categorized as failure? Suffice it to say here that some observations and questions were raised by NITDA to which UTAS technical team has to provide clarification.

    “As we speak, our engagement with NITDA over the second round of testing continues. The Union is worried that while this exercise is going on, the Minister and the DG, NITDA went to press after FEC meeting of Wednesday, 9th March, 2022, to mislead the nation that UTAS has failed the integrity test.

    “We wish to draw your attention to the fact that NITDA gave a report to the fact that NITDA gave the report that UTAS did well in both the integrity test and user acceptability verification. Clearly, 85% and 77% are high class grades in any known evaluation system.

    “In their desperation to justify their false assertions, they threw up issues such as Data centre and hosting of UTAS software which are clearly outside the rubrics of ASUU’s responsibilities in the deployment of UTAS.

    “ASUU and NITDA are still engaged in the testing process. It is pertinent to note that one of the core mandates of NITDA is to encourage local content development.

    “Therefore, NITDA has to discharge its responsibility to ensure that this solution developed by Nigerian academics is deployed. In doing so, the principles of transparency should be adhered to by making available to the public the set of criteria or benchmark for certification of information technology application in Nigeria.

    “The DG, NITDA should stop making comments that are capable of jeopardizing the joint on-going testing of UTAS between the NITDA Technical Team and its counterpart in our Union.

    “However, if this behaviour continues, we will have no choice but to demand that the NITDA Technical Report on UTAS and our Union’s response be made public in order to shed more light on the ongoing controversies without further waste of time.

    “The DG, NITDA and the Minister superintending the agency are challenged to a public discussion on any national media to put all matters to rest for the benefit of our students, union members, and the Nigerian public in general”.

  • FG gives NCC 6 months deadline to get innovative solutions in ICT

    FG gives NCC 6 months deadline to get innovative solutions in ICT

    The Federal Government on Monday gave six months deadline to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to come up with innovative solutions in Information Communications Technology (ICT).

    Prof. Isa Pantami gave the deadline at a maiden Telecommunications Based Research and Prototype Exposition in Abuja.

    Reported that, 10 of the prototypes, fully developed and ready for phase of market entry were presented and exhibited.

    The theme of the programme is: “The Drive Towards Commercialisation of Telecoms Research for Sustainable Development in the Industry”.

    Pantami urged stakeholders to continuously refine the roles of players in the nations National System of Innovation by creating new models and incentives.

    He said that this would guarantee objectives of the National Policy for the promotion of indigenous content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector.

    “I do hope that the next event will not be about the prototype but adopting the solution.

    “I will give NCC only six months from today for not only prototyping but solution and make it a national policy that this is what we have produced.

    “We have the brain, we have the capacity and we need to support each other to move this country forward.

    “We must continue to refine the roles of players in the nation’s National system of Innovation by creating new models and incentives.

    “This will guarantee we achieve the objectives of the National Policy for the promotion of indigenous content in the Nigeria Telecommunications sector,” he said.

    He called on tertiary institutions that benefit from research grants to deeply consider commercialisation of research prototypes.

    “I must reiterate that successful commercialisation of these prototypes will require requisite managerial and industrial competences as well as adequate funding.

    “It is, therefore, necessary for the tertiary institutions that benefit from research grants to deeply consider the commercialisation of the research outcomes (prototypes).

    “This means that collaborations and partnerships are necessary for commercialisation,” Pantami said.

    In his remarks, the Executive Vice-Chairman, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, explained that the exposition was aimed at providing the necessary opportunity for the academic awardees of the Commission’s Telecoms-based research projects.

    Danbatta said it was for them to display already developed prototypes and pitch ongoing research to the industry stakeholders.

    He noted the importance of having a commercialisation strategy to transit from rudimentary research into the market in order to address the local challenges and reduce over dependence on imported innovations and technologies.

    “This is to encourage the commercialisation of these locally-developed telecommunications innovations as a way of fostering and deepening the indigenous technological capabilities of Nigerians.

    “It is to support the overall growth of the industry and creating wealth for the spin-off companies.

    “This forum will further provide opportunities for collaborative partnerships amongst the various stakeholders that are capable of stimulating the overall productivity and sustainability for the continuous growth of the industry,” he said.

    The Regional Manager, Bank of Industry Ltd, Dr Kings Jack, pledged the Bank’s support and called on government and other stakeholders to increase investment in the telecommunications research and development as well as market for investment.

    One of the lead researchers from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Prof. Sahalu Junaidu, developed an e-band tracker and monitoring system specifically for pilgrims.

    Junaidu said that the e-band was to ease the identification of people and would also help the authorities in the management of persons on pilgrimage.

    He, however, said that the project would be made generic so that it would cut across different areas.

  • BREAKING: FG orders public institutions to migrate to second-level domain platform

    BREAKING: FG orders public institutions to migrate to second-level domain platform

    The federal government has ordered all public institutions to obtain a Nigerian second-level domain from the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and migrate to the platform with immediate effect.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports this is coming after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the National Policy on the Nigerian Government Second-Level Domains during its meeting on Wednesday.

    The approval followed a presentation of a memo by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami during the FEC meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

    Addressing State House correspondents on the outcome of the Council meeting, Pantami stated that with the approval of the policy, government officials must now migrate from using generic domain in their websites and their emails to the second level domain under the government top-level domain.

    According to him, the use of private email like, yahoo.com; hotmail.com or gmail.com for official communications by government officials would no longer be tolerated.

    “The memo I presented is our national policy, which has been approved by the Federal Executive Council. The policy has been entitled as National Policy on the Government, Second Level Domain.

    “This policy has been approved, and it focuses more on mandating federal public institutions, ministries, departments, agencies, and all institutions as long as they are for government to migrate from using generic domain in their websites and their emails to our second level domain under government top-level domain.

    “For example, you will discover today, some government institutions will engage in official communications using private email yahoo.com; hotmail.com, gmail.com, and it is an official communication.

    “And someone may retire or will complete his tenure or the tenure can be terminated, and he will go with the same email. And in that email, there are many official documents.

    “So, this will not be tolerated by government anymore. Any official communications must be using official email. And that email should not be a generic one. It must be dot government dot ng.

    “What is most important is, dot ng, that is our national identity. There are many categories of the second level domain, some are for military, you will see like mil.ng mil is a short form of Military. Dot ng for Nigeria.

    “You can see .gov.ng. Gov for government and ng for Nigeria. So there are categories of the second level domain, while our country top level domain.ng must be there in our websites, so that whoever gets access will know that this website is from Nigeria. While for email, it must reflect the official name.’’

    He said that benefits of the new policy would include the protection of the nation’s cyberspace as well as safeguarding national identity.

    “Furthermore, there are so many benefits of doing that. Number one, our national security. Websites are being created in other countries without domain name and some claim to be from Nigeria, this will go a long way in compromising our cyberspace, which cannot be ignored.

    “Two, national identity. Our national identity is key any website from Nigeria, particularly for government must have dot ng. From anywhere you will know that this is a Nigeria website.

    “And it will go a long way in promoting and improving our global ranking when it comes to human development, when it comes to fighting poverty and many more.

    “If website doesn’t have this, when it comes to assessment, many international organizations doing this assessment would not be able to get the correct websites of Nigerian institutions. And this will definitely affect our global ranking. It is because of this. Our national identity is important.

    “Number three, global recognition. It will give us a global recognition, because in the assessment, they will count and discover how many institutions are from Nigeria what have they been doing, what is their performance, what they have implemented so far.

    “So, it is also important. Furthermore, there is transparency. This transparency will also help us in some ways.

    “And finally, there is public confidence. If you receive an email, dot government dot ng, you will have that confidence that this is for government institution.’’

    “So public confidence is key. And if you look at a crime being committed today in the country, Yahoo Yahoo, it is from the generic email, someone may sit in the comfort of his room, create an email using Yahoo, bearing somebody’s name and committing crime.

    “That is why even the local name of this they call it Yahoo Yahoo. It is from using generic emails,” Pantami said.

    He stated that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) must key into the new national policy to promote transparency and good governance.

    “It is now a national policy. We must patronise our official accounts and communicate officially when you are about to leave office, there are procedures on either how to hand over the official email or how the email can be shut down completely.

    “And a new one can be created for the incoming government official so that government will be able to regulate this effectively,’’ he added.

    The minister revealed that an official circular would soon be issued, explaining the best way to commence immediate implementation of the policy.

    He stated the National Information Technology Development Agency, which is the custodian of government domain and the second-level domain, would be readily available to assist MDAs wishing to key into the new policy

    “And each government official is supposed to have an official email that he can communicate officially.

    “So, this policy has been approved by the federal government of Nigeria. And part of the policy also stated that lack of compliance cannot be tolerated by government,’’ he said.

    On ASUU’s refutal of his professorship from Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), the minister declined comment, saying the issue was already in court.

     

  • FG to launch 2 additional Satellites

    FG to launch 2 additional Satellites

    The Federal Government on Monday said all is set to launch two additional Satellites by the Nigeria Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited.
    The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, disclosed this during a facilities tour and interaction with Management team of NIGCOMSAT in Abuja.
    The Newsmen reports that the satellites are: NigComSat-2 and NigComSat- 3.
    “As I earlier said, 2022 has been dedicated to NigComSat and NIPOST and I want to do the best I can to improve what we have achieved in the previous years.
    “I recently approved two subsidiaries of NIGCOMSAT LTD and I am here to supervise what they have been doing.
    “I have discovered some areas where we need to work to improve their performance significantly,” he said.
    Pantami also said that for the agency not to be considered for privatisation again it must provide quality service and generate good revenue.
    “The efforts made to stop the privatisation of NIGCOMSAT is for the good of the company and for the good of the country.
    “You need to turn things around through the Unique and effective service you are able to provide and revenue you generate for government.
    “It is a difficult task to revive an institution and make it very successful. The challenge of reviving NIGCOMSAT is not just a necessity, but an obligation for all the staff,” he said.
    The Minister also said that the purpose of his visit was to address the major challenges that required the attention of the Federal Government.
    Pantami said the visit was to motivate and encourage the staff members on core values which were the guiding principles that must be adopted without compromise to ensure that the organisation succeeded.
    Director-General NIGCOMSAT Abimbola Alale appreciated the efforts of the Federal Government at ensuring that NIGCOMSAT functioned in its full capacity.
    “We appreciate the Minister for the increase in the budgetary allocation for the company that needs capital after overhead.
    “He stood for us and insisted there must be something good in NIGCOMSAT. Because he is a man who believes that we can actually turn around NIGCOMSAT,” she said.
    The Managing-Director also promised the Minister of the agency’s readiness to deliver quality service and generate revenue to justify his efforts in revitalising the agency.
    “This year, the Minister has given us many challenges and I know we are ready to meet the challenges. The subsidiaries are self funding and sustaining.
    “This year, Nigerians needs new significant changes that will make them know that NIGCOMSAT is a new company,”she said.
    Newsmen reports that some of the places visited included in the Facility Tour were the Satellite Control centre (SCC) Network Operations Centre (NOC) and others.
  • FG targets paperless government system by 2030

    FG targets paperless government system by 2030

    The Federal Government said that it was working to achieve a paperless government system by 2030.

    Prof. Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, said this at the Champions Day and closing of 2021 Service Wide Capacity Building Programme on e-Government at the e-Government Training Centre (e-GTC) in Abuja.

    The training, held in eight batches, was facilitated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) with support from the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

    1,376 public servants were trained from Nov. 2020 to Dec. 2021 at the centre located in the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Abuja.

    The beneficiaries are expected to drive the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) to achieve change and leverage technology in building a vibrant digital economy.

    Pantami recalled that from 2019 to the end of 2021 the ministry had come up with 16 policies to drive the digital economy agenda which included policies on Virtual Engagements and e-Government.

    He said, “by 2030, we hope to achieve a paperless government that will be driven by Blockchain technology and that can be used to achieve a lot.”

    The Minister said that through government efforts, NITDA, by approving IT projects in MDAs in 2019 and 2020, was able to save the FG about N9 billion and about N152 million.

    According to him, by the implementation of policies in the sector, more can be achieved.

    He directed the e-GTC committee to ensure digitisation of activities in the centre in the year.

    “The committee should ensure that the training is extended to state governments and Chief Executives of organisations for a comprehensive e-Government system and educate them on the benefits of digitalisation of government processes.

    “We also need a database of these trainings for reference sake to raise the country’s ranking at the international community,” he said.

    The Minister urged the champions to replicate the training in their various organisations in a train-the-trainer manner to ensure the training transcended to their colleagues.

    Dr Folasade Yemi-Essan, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, said the OHCSF was working with NITDA to create a digital platform for easy service delivery in the public service space.

    Yemi-Essan noted that agencies of government needed to collaborate better for a sustainable digital economy agenda, without which the nation could not move forward.

    The Director-General of NITDA, Mr Kashifu Inuwa, who also is the Chairman, Governing Committee of the e-GTC, said there was need to build human capacity in the drive toward digital transformation.

    Inuwa recalled that the programme was part of the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari during the official unveiling of the NDEPS on Nov. 28, 2019.

    He said that the agency was to use the e-GTC to provide the capacity building component of e-Government Masterplan implementation for civil servants across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

    He also recalled that a 10-man governing committee to oversee the affairs of the e-government training centre was instituted in Nov. 2019.

    “The committee engaged 16 Korean-trained public servants as resource persons to train the trainers, even though the proper training did not start until November 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “The centre has trained 1,376 civil servants from 48 MDAs between November 2020 and December 2021.

    “The centre adopted the government cost-saving strategy of hosting events organised by partner-MDAs and has hosted 50 events spanning 184 days for interested MDAs in 2020 and 2021.’’

    He said that services provided by NITDA included security, expanded training centre, desktops, internet, among other facilities.

    He added that as part of the agency’s plans for 2022, it would train more civil servants, commence executive capacity building for top-level decisions and policymakers such as permanent secretaries, CEOs of parastatals and lawmakers.

    He added that it would begin capacity building for both federal and state public servants.

    “The benefits of the training carried out by the e-GTC include recognising the opportunities e-government can bring, identify and prioritise where technology can be best applied to drive efficiencies, enable change and improve service delivery.

    He said that part of it included developing and implementing a Channel Shift strategy to encourage citizens to take up and move to the most efficient e-enabled services.

    The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Bitrus Nabasu, said that taking advantage of the centre could help reposition the country on the digital global map.

    The event witnessed awards to outstanding public servants who participated in the training, and an award of “Best Leadership for e-Government” to the minister.

  • FG deploys systems to meet critical security information needs

    FG deploys systems to meet critical security information needs

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the deployment of regulatory systems to monitor, detect and block SIMBox and Call Masking Traffic within Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.

    These hardware devices are of high-end configurations/specifications meant to ensure seamless optimal functionality, bearing in mind the volume of data inflow from the four (4) major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports this as contained in a statement released by Dr Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant (Research & Development) to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami.

    According to the statement, the approval followed a presentation of memos by Pantami, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Bitrus Bako Nabasu, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Dambatta, Prof Sahalu Junaidu and the Director of Financial Services of NCC, Mr. Yakubu Gontor at the FEC meeting of 8th of December, 2021.

    TNG reports the use of SIMBoxing and Call Masking has posed a challenge in meeting the critical security information needs of the telecommunications industry. The deployment of these systems will address the challenge. The deployment is also in alignment with the Soft Infrastructure pillar of NDEPS.

    The derivable benefits of the systems include the implementation of a system to continuously monitor incidences of SIMBOXING in the industry; detection of incidences of SIMBOXING in the entire MNO networks, round the clock, in near real time or real time preferably and reporting the same in applicable formats, and effective blocking of calls from SIMBOXES while also blocking the SIMs being used for the activity across all operators.

    Other benefits are implementation of a Call Masking/Calling Line Identification (CLI) Spoofing System to continuously monitor incidences of Call Masking/CLI Spoofing in the industry; detection of incidences of Call Masking in the entire MNO networks, round the clock, in near real time or real time preferably and reporting the same in applicable formats; and proactive blocking of Masked/Spoofed CLI calls at the origination stage to prevent successful call routing to the called subscriber.

    Also, during the FEC meeting, the Federal Government approved the implementation of the Advanced Digital Awareness Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADAPTI).

    The ADAPTI is aimed at bridging the digital gaps that exist in the academia by promoting the practical application of technology in research, teaching and learning in tertiary institutions.

    The approved programme will include the distribution of 6,000 digital tablets and is aimed at encouraging the appreciation and use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the country, particularly in tertiary institutions; providing access to ICT tools; promoting economic empowerment through self-development; and stimulating demand for products and services in the telecommunication sector.

    The ADAPTI will be implemented by NCC and it aligns with a number of pillars of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, including the pillars on Digital literacy and Skills, Solid Infrastructure, Digital Services Development and Promotion, Digital Society and Emerging Technologies and Indigenous Content Development and Adoption.

  • Panel upholds professorial appointment conferred on Isa Pantami, clears FUTO of infractions

    Panel upholds professorial appointment conferred on Isa Pantami, clears FUTO of infractions

    The governing council and the management of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) have been cleared of infractions in the appointment of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami as a Professor of Cybersecurity.

    A panel which issued the clearance said the varsity followed due process and subjected Pantami’s publications to evaluation by external assessors.

    It said the university established a prima facie case for the minister to be appointed a professor.

    The panel asked the university to take appropriate measures, including legal action, against those dragging FUTO’s name into the mud.

    Some of these highlights were contained in the report of the probe panel raised by the FUTO chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

    Following some misgivings over the appointment of Pantami as a Professor in School of Information and Communication Technology (SICT), the ASUUU FUTO Congress on September 22nd, 2021 set up the investigation committee.

    Those who served in the panel are: Prof. M. S. Nwakaudu (Chairman); Prof. G.A. Anyanwu; Prof. C. E. Orji; Prof. Mrs. O.P. Onyewuchi and Prof.T. I. N. Ezejiofor (Member/Secretary).

    According to a document, the panel was mandated to within seven days “ascertain whether or not” due process was applied in the appointment of Dr. Isa Ibrahim as a Professor of Cyber security by the Governing Council of FUTO.

    Those invited to appear before the panel included the University Registrar; the immediate Past Chairman, Committee of Deans; the Dean, School of Information and Communication Technology (SICT); some Deans of Schools who were members of ASAPC-Professional duringthe 2020/2021 Appraisal Year; some Internal Members of the last FUTO Governing Council and the Acting Head, Cybersecurity Department.

    Although the panel sought for extension of time for a comprehensive investigation, it said the university council and the management also complied with FUTO Act in appointing the Minister as a Professor of Cybersecurity.

    The report said in part: “FUTO in her quest to be counted in the modem trends in the fields of science, engineering, technology, etc, decided to establish new programmes such as Forensic Science, Software Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Cybersecurity, Radiography and Radiation Science among others.

    “FUTO advertised for vacancies in Academic and Academic Support Staff in six schools (namely SICT, SESET, SOES, SOHT, SBMS and SOBS) and 23 Departments including Cybersecurity

    “Vacancies advertised in the Academic Departments (including Cyber Security Department) are for Professor, Reader, Senior Lecturer, etc. The advertisement appeared in the two national newspapers (The Sun and The Guardian) and interested candidates were invited to apply for the position to which they are qualified.

    “Dr. Isa Ibrahim responded and applied for the post of Professor of Cybersecurity. He was given a Temporary Appointment as Professor of Cybersecurity in the Cybersecurity Department, for which he accepted in writing.

    “Dr. Isa Ibrahim’s qualifications include BSc, MSc in Computer Science and MBA all from ATBU, PhD in Computer Information System from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK. He is a Fellow and member of some foreign Computer Science professional societies.

    “Dr. Isa Ibrahim was requested to submit details of his publications and productive works for both internal and external assessments. He complied with the request.

    “Dr. Isa Ibrahim’s publications and productive works were sent to the Dean of SICT for internal assessment for the purpose of establishment of prima facie case for the professorial appointment.

    “The Dean of SICT assessed the publications and productive works using the FUTO guidelines for appointment and promotion and established a prima facie case for Dr. Isa Ibrahim for him to be appointed a Professor of Cybersecurity.

    “The prima facie case for Dr. Isa Ibrahim was presented to the Academic Staff Appraisal and Promotion Committee- Professorial (ASAPC-Professorial) meeting held on 17th March, 2021. The committee discussed the issue and recommended same for approval by the FUTO council.

    “The Council at its meeting held on the 18th of March, 2021 approved the prima facie case for Dr. Isa Ibrahim to be appointed a Professor of Cybersecurity.

    “Following the approval of the prima facie case, Dr. Isa Ibrahim’s publications and productive works were sent for external assessment.

    “The external assessment returned positive and the council at its meeting of 20th August, 2021 approved his appointment as a Professor of Cybersecurity.

    “Dr. Isa Ibrahim was given a tenure appointment as a Professor of Cybersecurity following his appointment by the FUTO Governing Council.

    “Dr. Isa Ibrahim has assumed duties and is currently involved in the teaching of CYB 201 (Fundamentals of Cyber Security), via online and a lead Supervisor of one PhD Student/Staff of Cybersecurity Department.”

    The panel, which said the university was in order on Pantami’s appointment, asked it to go to any extent to protect its image.

    It recommended legal action against those who had allegedly tried to tarnish the image of FUTO.

    The report added: “From our findings and evidence before the panel, members are of the opinion that the appointment of Dr. Isa Ibrahim as a Professor of Cybersecurity by the FUTO Governing Council followed due process.

    “The panel strongly recommends that the University management should as a matter of urgency, take appropriate actions, including legal action, against those who deliberately try to drag the image and reputation of FUTO to the mud.”

    Confirming the panel report, the chairman of the FUTO chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Christopher Echereobia, admitted that the union has a copy in its custody.

    Echereobia said that the report would be deliberated upon at the zonal meeting coming up today in Owerri.

    “After the zonal meeting, we are also going to deliberate on the report on November 12 at the NEC meeting in Abuja before we can take a position on the report,” he said.

    Saying that the panel was set up at the instant of the national, Echereobia said: “So, it is after these deliberations at the zonal and national level that we can take position on the report.”

  • Nigeria reaches milestone in race for deployment of 5G networks

    Nigeria reaches milestone in race for deployment of 5G networks

    Nigeria has reached a milestone, joining the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK) and a handful of other countries in the race for the deployment of 5G networks.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports this is as the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the highest decision making organ of the country, has approved the National Policy on Fifth Generation (5G) Networks for the nation.

    The 5G Policy was approved at the Council meeting on Wednesday, following a presentation made by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.

    The implementation of the National Policy is with immediate effect, TNG learnt.

    TNG gathers that the National Policy has been developed over a period of 2 years, due to the need for extensive stakeholder engagement and the need to ensure adequate public awareness and sensitization.

    Meanwhile, according to a statement by Dr Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant on Information Technology to Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, the stakeholder engagement was thorough and multi-sectoral in nature.

    “It also took into account the report of the 3-month 5G trials that commenced on the 25th of November 2019.

    “The report critically reviewed and studied the health and security implications of deploying 5G in Nigeria.

    Leading international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), an organ of the United Nations, have confirmed that the deployment of 5G networks leave no adverse health effect and are safe,” the statement reads.

    TNG reports 5G networks offer significant advantages over current technologies.

    Some of its advantages include much lower latency, higher bandwidth, greater device density, longer battery life for nodes and greater network flexibility.

    Several countries have already commenced the deployment of 5G and are enjoying its benefits.

    These countries include the United States, United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, South Africa and Lesotho, to mention but a few.

    The National Frequency Management Council (NFMC), chaired by Minister Pantami, will soon release spectrum to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) that meet all the required conditions.

    The NCC, as the regulator of the telecommunications sector, will continue engaging stakeholders with a view to developing the regulatory instruments required for the successful deployment of the technology in Nigeria.

  • Why we are deploying 5G network soon – FG

    Why we are deploying 5G network soon – FG

    The Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has said it will soon deploy the Five Generation network (5G) in Nigeria for increased connectivity.

    The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, announced this in Abuja when he featured on FORUM, a special News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) interview programme.

    The minister said the decision to deploy the 5G network followed an outcome of thorough investigations, research and trial absolving it of posing security or health threat.

    He explained that the work on the national policy on 5G stood at 95 per cent done and that it would be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in due course.

    Pantami, who said the primary concern of government was to ensure security and welfare of Nigerians in their utilisation of services in the telecommunications sector, blamed the delay in the deployment of the 5G network on conspiracy theories.

    Recall that there were concerns that COVID-19 was associated with the deployment of the 5G communications network.

    “Our government is a listening one. So, we listen to constructive criticism, respect it and appreciate it, and at least, we value it.

    “We’d reached advanced stage of 5G. Then, an issue came up that 5G was related to COVID-19. Many people, including the educated ones, started circulating it without verification.

    “Naturally, people are a bit scared and sceptical about technology. So, we gave enough time to do more consultation, creating awareness in local languages to engage our citizens to address all the challenges.

    “We set up a technical team that accommodated security, health and environmental institutions and the public sector so that we could be on the same page.

    “I want to give you the assurance that 5G communication network is in the pipeline,” he said.

    Pantami said the ministry had started discussions with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on the spectrum for commercial purposes.

  • FG to deploy 5G network soon – Pantami

    FG to deploy 5G network soon – Pantami

    The Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy says it will soon deploy the fifth generation (5G) technology standard for broadband cellular networks in Nigeria for increased connectivity.

    The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami disclosed this in Abuja in an interview programme.

    The minister said that the decision to deploy the 5G network followed an outcome of thorough investigations, research and trial absolving it of posing security or health threat.

    According to him, the work on the national policy on 5G stands at 95 per cent done and will be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in due course.

    Pantami, who said that the primary concern of government was to ensure security and welfare of Nigerians in their utilisation of services in the telecommunications sector, blamed the delay in the deployment of the 5G network on conspiracy theories.

    Recall that there were concerns that COVID-19 was associated with the deployment of the 5G communications network.

    “Our government is a listening one; so we listen to constructive criticisms, respect it and appreciate it and at least we value it.

    “We’d reached advanced stage of 5G, then, an issue came up that 5G was related to COVID-19; many people including the educated ones started circulating it without verification.

    “Naturally, people are a bit scared and sceptical about technology.

    “So we gave enough time to do more consultation, creating awareness in local languages so as to engage our citizens to address all the challenges.

    “We set up a technical team that accommodated security, health and environmental institutions and the public sector so that we can be on the same page.

    “I want to give you the assurance that 5G communication network is in the pipeline,” Pantami said during the interview with NAN.

    He further said that the ministry had started discussions with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) concerning spectrum for commercial purposes.

    “From that spectrum, NCC will give it to mobile operators to start deployment; so, the policy is almost ready.

    “I went to the National Assembly, I defended our presentation and they have accepted and they have also endorsed the deployment of 5G.

    “They have also encouraged us to learn from other countries that have deployed 5G and we have already done that.

    “The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a statement that there is no relationship between 5G network and COVID-19 and that addresses the health issue.

    “Similarly, the International Communications Union (ICU), which is an arm of the UN, also issued another statement debunking any implications from the 5G,” Pantami said.