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Telecom Colonization Imminent – Daranijo

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Sinari Daranijo, Chief Executive Officer, Elcomserve Nigeria Limited – a conglomerate of Security, Telecom and IT professionals.
He is a highly successful unique individual with immeasurable business acumen and has accumulated diverse business portfolios ranging from International Business, Oil & Gas, Business Development, Commerce & Industry, Training & Development, Information Technology, Strategic Management and Safety with over 18 years of relevant experience.
He spoke to Peter Ugwu on the company’s newly invented Nigeria’s first instant messaging/chat platform – Simply Beep and the state of the nation’s telecom industry. 

Elcomserve in Nigeria’s Telecom Business
We have a mix of professionals to provide great solutions for the development of the country and the people.
And one of our major target areas is to make things easier for people on the global scale by using the telecommunication platform.
When telecom was liberalised in Nigeria we actually started by providing infrastructure, equipment like radios, antenna, masts etcetera.
Everything is in stages. After they achieved that feat, the next step was to maintain the existing infrastructure, so that clients and customers can have value for their money and speak to themselves.
So that after acquiring huge voice subscriptions, the SMS promos, text-to-win were inspired, and now the next level is providing service for value added creation which has given rise to increase in the use of data.
For us at Elcomserve, we thought that now that the world is going digital everyone will end up in the internet, whether we like it or not.
So, we considered having a data plan that will be all encompassing, a gate into the world. We discovered that these days the spirit of chatting is beginning to encompass and engulf the entire world – it is easier to be on an IM platform than being on an SMS one.
We also discovered that while the whole world is going ahead, talk about android, iPod, Africa is lagging behind a bit because of high poverty level.
However, the chat experience is presently only available on that higher level, so we thought, ‘what can we do to bring it lower?’, hence we have created a product called Simply Beep.
It is supposed to help people who are using ordinary phones to tap into the experience of the upper-class users of smartphones.
It will open up a huge avenue into the entire system. But of course we have our challenges, even the people who work with the network operators do not completely understand because they are all following the world trend.
We have statistics: out of about 100 million subscribers on all the GSM networks in Nigeria, only about 3 million have BlackBerry and other smart phones.
We have about 97 million others who do not possess a BlackBerry or Smartphone.
For the most part, we have concentrated on those at the top.
 We need to connect with those on the other end of the divide. So, we decided to do something that will allow more people to have access to chat platform, people like students, artisans, house wives, etc, they are willing and ready to chat.
Beep is already available for download with the MTN network and we are concluding talks with all other mobile network providers in the country.
 
Beep and Local Lingua
The product has local lingual significance.
The reason why it is deployed in local lingua is to separate us from the crowd. And it will actually make the product proudly Nigerian.
Our local Pidgin-English is also something now respected and subscribed to in some parts of the world, owing to our music and movie industry.
Therefore, our move is to capture that segment of the society and endear them to the product. The emoticons such as “Laugh wan kill me die”, “I beg wait” and “I dey vex,” are some of the unique features of Simply Beep.

Challenges
Although there are other competing brands in the market – they have higher-end products – not necessarily mass friendly and not directly pushed to the people.
The reason why it’s taking some time for us to leverage on our own product is because we are stepping into a market with a new experience, and by pulling these people into a new experience it now means that we need to throw the product directly to their phones, unlike those other competitors that subscribers have to download from the internet.
That is our strategy, but it was tough pushing the networks to understand what we are talking about, because all they can see is the upper class people.
We had to make them see that Nigerians are highly motivated people.

Economic Values
Now, when you look at it from the point of economic value, the social media is a very big platform.
Increasing the dissemination of information, helps two or more people engage in interaction, increases communal feelings, etc.
So, all the advantages of social media are what we are bringing to the fore, especially for those who won’t otherwise use data services.
Our underlying philosophy however, is: own something. We don’t create, own or produce anything as Africans.
Over 50 per cent of what we wear on our bodies is foreign made. And that is why we shall continue to have local content problems.
Shoprite is here and you are all excited, it is not your money! If you go there to shop, they take the money and develop their own countries.
Why can’t we build our own platforms? This is the age of social platform. And I am building this platform in pain, because banks don’t support me. Even the networks, it was a battle to make them buy into this.
And that is the story of Nigeria, even the government does not understand.
But we need to build platforms that are ours. It will checkmate capital flight, because presently, when N10 is plugged into Nigeria’s economy, N5 out of it leaves the country.

Nigeria in Telecom Market
The world telecommunication market is expanding.
The data accompanying all products pushed to Africa are being kept by foreign companies. The problem with Nigerians is that we are not creators; we would want to leverage on what everybody brings to us.
We can do something even better; something we can call our own.
If Nigeria can boast of a chat platform we hold as ours, rather than depend on outsiders, then it is the beginning of great things to come in the Nigerian telecommunications market.

Infrastructure
That is where the global village phenomenon comes in, because we are still battling with electricity and all that, what we have done is to partner RackSpace that hosts servers for many other companies in the world.
RackSpace keeps all our chats and everything.
There is a room in the cloud that is dedicated to us. Reason why we have gone to that level is to ensure we do not tell our subscribers stories.
The problem we are having with the network operators is their inability to see that this project is important for the nation, because local content is not always the best for the expatriate companies.
It’s just the way the oil companies operate; we need a lion-hearted Minister who will put it on the expatriate companies to align themselves with the domestic inventors.
Do we have government functionaries who understand what mobile application developers go through?

Human Resources
We need to have telecom people in government; those who understand the nitty-gritty of the business so as to harness the potentials.
Your software is nothing until it goes out to the public. Nigeria must do everything within our powers to run away from impending telecom colonization.
It is a serious issue; there is no sector that the foreigners are not dominating.
We need to have Nigerians hold some gates in the sector. They know it, but there is not enough passion to drive it.
We have the best of policies in place, but the implementation is the problem. You remember when the telecom market was initially liberalised, NITEL had 400,000 lines and owned all infrastructure associated with the industry.
The new private operators were begging NITEL (for infrastructure sharing), but now they have all built their own infrastructures and its NITEL through the government begging them (for accommodation).
So, the bigger you are, the less stress, because you don’t have to talk to anybody.    
  
Government’s Involvement  
The connection between government and the realities ends in speeches. We need to have people who feel the pain to make things happen.
We need the government and the industry to understand each other by communicating on a regular basis, so we can deliver a resultant technological effect to the people at the grassroots.     


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Unity Bank Upgrades Corpreneurship Prize Money to N16M Per Stream as 30 New Winners Emerge

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In a bid to boost start-up capital and place more resources at the disposal of aspiring young entrepreneurs in Nigeria, retail lender, Unity Bank Plc has increased the prize money for winners of its flagship Entrepreneurship Development Initiative, known as Corpreneurship Challenge to 16 million Naira per stream.

Head, SME Banking, Dr. Opeyemi Ojesina addresses the participants at Delta NYSC Orientation camp before the commencement of the pitch presentation

Consequently, participants who emerge winners in the business pitch will henceforth win N800,000, N500,000, and N300,000 Business grants for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd positions respectively as against the previous editions in which the sum of N500,000; N300,000 and N200,000 were handed out to respective winners in the Corpreneurship Challenge.

Launched in 2019 with pilots in 4 states – Lagos, Edo, Ogun, and Abuja and scaled to 10 States in 2020, the Corpreneurship Challenge initiative is promoted in partnership with the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, SAED. The initiative features a business pitch presentation where participants have the opportunity to present their business plans and stand a chance to win business grants.

At the recently concluded edition of the Corpreneurship Challenge for 2024 NYSC Batch A, Stream 1 NYSC service, 30 winners emerged including upcoming entrepreneurs developing innovative solutions in several business value chains such as Poultry farming, Fashion, and Pastries, among others, after participating in the business pitch that took place across the 10 NYSC Orientation Camps in Rivers, Delta, Anambra, Abia, Oyo, Ogun, Kebbi, Niger Sokoto and Zamfara States.

At the Delta State NYSC Orientation Camp in Issele-Uku, Folorunsho Kolade who pitched a Poultry farming business plan emerged as the overall winner to claim the N800,000 grand prize; Samuel Ayodotun. J. whose innovative footwear venture idea, Basky Footprint took the second spot to win the N500,000 cash prize; while another corps member, Udoji Chibuike Peter, whose venture plan on the footwear fashion value chain also emerged as the second runner-up to claim the N300,000 grant.

Also, at the NYSC Orientation Camp at Nonwa Gbam Tai, Rivers State, Dan Betobong Samuel’s business plan on food production claimed the top spot to clinch the N800,000 grand prize; while Linda Christopher’s Lily Pastries’ business plan emerged as the first runner-up to claim the N500,000 grant. Esther Jacob’s business pitch on the poultry value chain emerged as the second runner-up to win the N300,000 cash grant.

Speaking at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Rivers State, the Divisional Head, Retail and SME Banking, Mrs. Adenike Ambimbola commended the participating Corps Members for the quality of their business plans and pledged the Bank’s commitment to sustaining the Entrepreneurship Development Scheme.

While congratulating the winners, Mrs. Ambimbola said, “Unity Bank is proud to associate with the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) scheme of NYSC in providing interventions and support to budding entrepreneurs with promising ventures through the business grants to help turn these ideas into reality. We recognize the importance of investing in our youths and empowering them to drive positive change within our economy.”

Also speaking at the grand finale held in Delta State NYSC Orientation Camp, Dr. Opeyemi Ojesina, Head of SME Banking, Unity Bank expressed delight at the Unity Bank Corpreneurship Challenge’s growing profile as a leading business incubation platform and catalyst for entrepreneurship development in Nigeria.

He said, “Over the past five years, Unity Bank has steadfastly supported the Corpreneurship Challenge, witnessing its profound impact on youth empowerment and job creation nationwide.

“The programme has earned a reputation for its innovative approach, seamlessly integrating financial backing, mentorship, and skill development to nurture aspiring entrepreneurs.”

Ojesina further underscored the invaluable mentorship offered to participants, connecting them with seasoned professionals who provide crucial insights, guidance, and a roadmap for success.

He emphasized Unity Bank’s belief that true empowerment extends beyond financial aid to the cultivation of entrepreneurial acumen.

So far, Unity Bank has invested over N120 million in the initiative, which has now produced 369 winners since it was launched in 2019.

In 2021, the leadership of the NYSC bestowed on Unity Bank the “Icon of Youth Empowerment” award in recognition of the impact of the initiative.

The Corpreneurship Challenge continues to elicit growing interest among the corps members, attracting over 4,000 applicants and participation in every edition.


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Cloud Energy Launches Solar Energy As A Serrvice for Stable Electricity

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Cloud Energy Solar, recognized as Nigeria’s premier solar energy provider, has initiated the Solar Energy as a Service programme, which aims to empower “Solar entrepreneurs” to offer electricity solutions for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by using Cloud Energy’s Solar Energy Storage System (ESS).

Cloud Energy Launches Solar Energy As A Serrvice for Stable Electricity

This is coming against the backdrop of societal challenges including inflation and high cost of living in the country.

Speaking to a group of Resellers during a virtual Zoom conference, Mr. Theophilus Nweke, managing director of Cloud Energy, emphasized that the launch of the Energy as a Service Programme underscores Cloud Energy’s unwavering dedication to expanding access to electricity across Nigeria…

Under the programme, the MD explained, that Cloud Energy would boost the entrepreneurial capacities of the Reseller by providing the equipment to produce power for embedded power clusters in markets, in high streets, and other commercial areas. Cloud Energy would also provide logistics, training, and technical support to ensure the sustainability of the Energy as a Service Programme.

The Reseller would find the clusters, mobilize them, distribute the power, and collect the tariff.  The original equipment is supplied on lease to the reseller who enjoys three days grace period

One significant concern among citizens today pertains to the necessity for critical Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to remain inactive while awaiting electricity supply from the Distribution Companies (DISCOs), particularly following the removal of fuel subsidies. Furthermore, the escalating cost of diesel has led to many standby generators remaining inactive permanently.

The managing director of Cloud Energy elaborated that Solar Energy as a Service represents a patriotic innovation, ensuring electricity access on a Pay as You Use basis. This program revitalizes idle MSMEs, enhances national productivity, and fosters widespread employment opportunities for Nigerians

Solar Energy as a Service, which will create new opportunities for prudence and accountability within the Energy sector is not limited to Cloud Energy Resellers.

All stakeholders who share the commitment to expanding the boundaries of access to power in Nigeria are free to partner with Cloud Energy to attain the national power aspirations.

During the question-and-answer session, the managing girector assured the Resellers of the immediate take-off of the program while urging them to seize the opportunity to increase their streams of income for the good of the sector.

Cloud Energy was, established in 2015 with the rare attributes of knowledge, youth, and integrity.

The company has developed sustainable solutions in large-scale energy storage, mini-grids and captive power, and solar rooftops for homes.

Backed by credible after-sales support, Cloud Energy has branded the Sunbox series, electrical appliances, fans, television sets, freezers, and fridges that have brought fulfillment to many homes, offices, and MSMEs.

Cloud Energy is a major partner of the Federal Government’s Rural Electrification Agency to learn more about Cloud Energy, visit its website at www.cloudenergy.com.ng


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Reps Mull Tax Crimes Commission to Curb Revenue Leakages

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The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed for second reading a bill seeking to establish a National Tax Crimes and Oversight Commission to tackle revenue leakages in the country.

Reps Mull Tax Crimes Commission to Curb Revenue Leakages

Titled “A Bill for an Act to Establish the National Tax Crimes and Oversight Commission to Address Revenue Leakages Emanating from Non-payment and Under Payment of Taxes, Irregularities in the Assessment, Reporting and Remittances of Taxes to Prevent and Combat Tax Related Crimes, to Ensure the Protection of Taxpayers Rights and for Related Matters,” the proposed legislation is sponsored by Benjamin Okezie Kalu, deputy speaker of the House,  and eight others.

Leading the debate on its general principles, Felix Uche Nweke, one of the co-sponsors, said the Commission, when established, will check irregularities in the assessment, reporting, and remittances of taxes, prevent and combat tax-related crimes, and plug all leakages in the tax administration system in the country.

The lawmaker noted that leakages occur where unscrupulous staff and agents of tax authorities collude with citizens to under-assess the tax-payer thereby resulting in underpayment.

He said leakages also occur in the form of tax evasion, especially such that is encouraged and condoned by the tax collector and more especially among multinational corporations operating within the country.

Nweke further said leakages also occur where there are non-remittances of collected taxes, that is to say where government does not get the total amount of taxes collected as a result of revenue diversion by fraudulent staff of tax authorities.

He said there is a need to establish an Independent Tax Crimes and Oversight Commission, which will have the capacity to investigate, audit, prevent and combat tax related crimes.

This, the lawmaker said, will effectively prevent international tax evasion and other transnational organised crimes and abuses of the nation’s public finance system.

He stressed that the bill seeks to  promote economic efficiency and effective tax administration system, detect and deter evasion, fraud and abuse in Nigeria’s tax administration system and to protect taxpayer’s rights.

 

Nweke said: “The amount of revenue available to any government determines the extent to which such a government may be able to provide public goods and services. It is a pointer to how far a nation can ensure her growth and development.

“While taxation is considered the most important means of generating public revenue, it is worthy of note that nations that strive to develop aim at putting in place a fair, just, efficient and simplified tax administration system which builds confidence amongst the citizens and as well motivates and encourages citizens to pay their taxes.

“While it is one thing to fix the amount of taxes to be paid, it is another for tax collection authorities and assessors to determine the right amount of taxes to be paid in accordance with the provisions of extant tax laws. This will definitely contribute to our national security through prevention of tax related crimes, prevention of illicit financial flow derived from tax evasion, international tax schemes, cybercrime, etc.

“The Tax Crimes and Oversight Commission will not function as a law court, it will not duplicate the functions of the Tax Appeal Tribunals established in accordance with section 59(1) of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2007 and ti will not be saddled with any form of quasi-judicial functions.”


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