Telecom
Experts at IIM Africa Information literacy week harp on proper data management
Information and data management experts have called on government at all levels to initiate policies and measures to ensure proper management of information and data in the country.
The experts gave the advice at an event organised by the Institute of Information Management (IIM Africa) to mark the Information Management and Literacy Week 2019 in Lagos.
The theme of the event was: “A reformed and renewed society through information Literacy”.
The Information Management and Literacy Week were convened to provide several opportunities in finding out about a wide range of services that information management offers.
The 2019 edition highlighted and identified various information gaps, information management needs, and also proffered required framework for effective data/information governance in regulatory agencies across the Country.
IIM Africa members on walk-out exercise
The literacy week also set the parameters for data/information management, usage, creating processes for resolving data/information issues aimed at enabling regulatory bodies and other stakeholders make decisions based on high-quality data and well-managed information assets.
Several speakers and activities lined up for the week-long programe also pin-pointed the vital role which information management services play for research and education.
Speaking at the event, Dr Oyedokun Oyewole, President, Institute of Information Management (IIM), Africa, said that government had a role to play in ensuring the existence of enabling laws, and providing adequate enlightenment to citizens on the need for proper data and information management.
Oyewole said that government could educate citizens by organising workshops, seminars and radio shows in form of jingles that would enlighten citizens on dangers involved when data and information are not properly managed.
”In other climes like America, dissemination of information by journalist is handled ethically and responsibly considering the sensitivity of such information to national security and its importance.
Simply because there are known and established principles, standards, procedures, systems and policies in place to effectively handle such. Such principles, guidelines and policies should also be encouraged and promoted in the African society for balanced reporting by journalists,” Dr. Oyewole said.
He urged government regulatory agencies and private organisations to implement/imbibe policies, laws, systems and best practices that would enhance proper management of data and information.
Launch of IUIM and RIMA founder’s Day award
Emphasising on Information governance (IG) being the overall management of the availability, usability, integrity and security of information used in an organisation.
And the need for regulatory authorities in Nigeria to ensure sound information governance program within their individual agencies with good governing body, charged with defining the set of procedures and plans to execute those procedures.
As Information Governance is required to ensure that organization’s information assets are formally, properly, proactively and efficiently managed throughout the enterprise to secure its trust & accountability, for the ultimate improvement in productivity and efficiency of an organization in meeting regulatory, legal, risk and operational requirements.
The president also commended the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for recent introduction of data privacy regulations to protect Nigerians and also sensitize them on the need to protect their personal data and information.
In a presentation titled, ‘Best Practices and the Role of the Press in Disseminating Sensitive Information to the Public’,John Montana, a renowned Information Management Expert, said that press occupy a conspicuous position to influence proper information dissemination.
“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and cannot be limited without being lost”, he quoted former US President Thomas Jefferson.
He further quoted Hugo Black who said, “The Government’s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government.
“The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of the government and inform the people.
“Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose the deceptions in government”.
Montana added that the role of the press is to keep the government in power in check, but must be done in accurate and objective manner.
He further cautioned against ‘careless’ reportage of sensitive information such as personal information – financial data, health data, etc; embarrassing information about a crime victim – for example rape; information that may be valuable to criminals, terrorists and other bad actors.
On his part, the Executive Director, Numeric Technologies, Mr Alexander Anago, said that there was need for the government to put in place information protection life cycle strategy to effectively protect, detect, respond and monitor hackers.
“The government needs to provide national gateway for information processing transmission to improve intelligence.
“The government should also implement cross border information security policies, cyber law and information processing policies for proper management of data.
“To effectively manage the data of citizens and the country as a whole the government needs to find a lasting solution to Advanced Persistent Threats.
Cross Section of attendees at IIm Africa Information Literacy workshop
“Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) is a network attack in which unauthorised persons gain access to a network and stay there undetected for a long period of time.
“The intention of an APT attack is to steal data; so, the government needs to adopt sophisticated techniques for early detection of such attacks before it happens,”Anago said.
He said that besides the government, the citizens also needed to stop putting all their personal information, which includes signatures, pictures of their house, cars, children and other private data on social media platform.
Anago also advised people to desist from using public WiFi as it was the easiest way for hackers to gain access to their personal details.
Dr Isa Pantami, the Director-General of NITDA, who was represented by Mr Seyi Ogunseye, a consultant in the Strategic Operations Department, said that the Agency had been creating awareness on the need for proper management of information and data.
He said that Section 6 of NITDA Act 2007 mandates the agency to create a framework for planning, research, development, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of information technology practices and systems in Nigeria.
The Information Management Literacy Week also featured important programmes like Data and Governance Forum/Exhibition; Information Management Session for schools; Novelty Football Match; Founder’s Day/RIMA Awards and official presentation of International University of Information Management (IUIM), United States.
Telecom
IHS Nigeria Hosts Telecom Industry Stakeholders to Discuss Protection of Critical National Infrastructure in Lagos State
IHS Nigeria, part of the IHS Holding Limited (NYSE: IHS) (“IHS Towers”) group, one of the largest independent owners, operators, and developers of shared communications infrastructure in the world by tower count, recently hosted a high-level meeting of stakeholders in the telecommunications industry including regulators and law enforcement agencies, at its corporate headquarters in Lagos.
The meeting was organized to develop a multi-stakeholder action plan for the protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) assets in Lagos state.
Recognizing the importance of communications infrastructure as the backbone of national security, economic growth and social cohesion, the stakeholders at the meeting convened under the umbrella of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) agreed on the urgent need for collaborative solutions to ensure the protection of these vital assets.
The meeting was attended by senior representatives from the telecommunications stakeholder groups and regulatory bodies including the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA).
Also in attendance were representatives from the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), and InfraCos as well as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the security agency tasked with the protection of Critical National Infrastructure across the country.
Following extensive deliberations, the stakeholders resolved to establish a working group dedicated to addressing key industry challenges, including the vandalization and theft of telecommunications infrastructure, arbitrary shutdown of base stations, fiber cuts due to road construction and the denial of access by unauthorized individuals by leveraging technology for real-time monitoring and protection, strengthening security measures around telecommunication sites and collaborating more with the security and regulatory agencies to mitigate these challenges.
The stakeholders underscored the need to prioritize deterrence and prevention of these incidents and highlighted the importance of public awareness campaigns to sensitize the host communities and public of the need to protect telecommunications infrastructure in their localities.
Dapo Otunla, Senior Vice President & Chief Corporate Services Officer of IHS Nigeria, commented, “The protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) has been a critical concern for all industry stakeholders.
“We are experiencing daily losses of assets, which significantly impact on the quality of service delivered to subscribers. Addressing these issues is paramount to sustaining Nigeria’s digital ecosystem and meeting regulatory expectations.”
Over 1ooo athletes are already set to participate in the upcoming MTN Champs Continental Relays, taking place between April 9 and April 12 at the UNILAG and Yabatech Sports complexes. Organisers anticipate even more registrations before the April 2 deadline.
MTN Champs is Nigeria’s largest grassroots sports competition, a collaboration between MTN Nigeria and Making of Champs (MoC), providing a platform for young athletes to showcase their talents and potentially represent Nigeria on the global stage.
Osaze Ebueku, Senior Manager, Go-to-Market at MTN Nigeria at the opening ceremony of the MTN Champs Classics events in Benin had emphasised the long-term vision behind MTN Champs: “We’re building future Olympians for Nigeria. MTN Champs is about more than competition. It’s about changing lives.”
The continental relays mark the second leg of the MTN Champs Season 3, following the Classics competition in Benin, which saw 4,371 event entries from 2,056 athletes.
As of March 24, the Lagos leg had already recorded 2,821 event entries across different age categories, highlighting the growing enthusiasm around the competition.
The registered athletes are spread across four categories, with 174 in the Cadet (U-14) category, 388 in Youth (U-17), 270 in Junior (U-20), and 279 in the Senior category.
To ensure smooth participation, organisers have outlined important guidelines. Athletes in the Cadet, Youth, and Junior categories must submit a signed Parental Consent Form, while all registered schools and athletes must collect their competition bibs by April 8 at the competition venue to confirm their participation and secure their place on the start list.
Sports enthusiasts can look forward to an electrifying showcase of emerging talent, as young athletes seize the opportunity to prove their skills on a professional stage.
Telecom
Again, Labour Fumes, Threatens Shutdown of Telcos over Non-Implementation of 15 Percent Tariff Reduction
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is threatening to shut down operations of telecommunications companies over their refusal to comment on the 15 percent reduction in telecom tariffs.
Recall that that organised labour, through the NLC, forced the federal government and NCC to reduce the telecommunications tariff hike from 50% to 35% after threatening to shut down telecom operations and the NCC in response to what it saw as exploitative economic policies amidst excruciating suffering, hardship, and deepening poverty.
The government had previously formed a 10-member committee, consisting of five government and NLC representatives, to deliberate on the thorny topic of tariff hikes within two weeks and report back before making a final decision on the new telecom tariff structure.
Consequently, on Friday, February 21, 2025, the committee, at a meeting conducted in the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) that lasted nearly three hours, decided on a 15 per cent tariff cut.
According to reports, in accordance with the conditions of the agreement, an official communiqué announcing the tariff reduction was scheduled to be released on Saturday, February 22.
According to Chronicle,iIt was said that the meeting began at 4:00 p.m. and concluded around 7:00 p.m., during which NLC representatives insisted that the tariff hike be withdrawn.
According to sources, after significant pressure from NLC representatives in the 10-man committee, the government and NCC gave up and agreed on the 15% decrease, which the government or NCC should have announced the next day.
However, at the time of this report, no such announcement has been made.
Leaders of the labour union are not taking the government’s failure to announce or implement the 15% tariff decrease lightly, suspecting that they have been duped.
The Labour leaders have therefore resolved to directly confront the NCC and telecommunications operators next week.
Though it has been reported that the date for the start of the industrial action against the NCC and telecom providers has been set and mobilisation is underway, the information is being closely guarded.
One of the leaders of the NLC stated that “We have received directives to commence mobilisation since last week. In fact, the date for the commencement of industrial action against the NCC and telecommunication operators’ offices across the country has been fixed. We have been warned not to disclose the date because the plan is to take all concerned by surprise. We are not giving any notice because we thought we had resolved this matter over a month ago. It is as if we have been scammed. Therefore, we have decided to confront the matter head-on.”
On February 12, the NLC expressed outrage over telecommunications companies’ tariff hikes, despite an earlier agreement with the Federal Government and the NCC.
According to the Labour union, “If the telecommunications companies fail to revert to the old tariff by the end of February 2025, a total shutdown of their operations nationwide will commence on March 1, 2025.”
To demonstrate its seriousness, the NLC declared that, as a first step in resisting the arbitrary tariff hike, it directed that workers and other willing citizens boycott the services of MTN, AIRTEL, and GLO daily between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. until the end.
On Tuesday, February 11, NLC leaders issued a communiqué at the conclusion of their Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Lokoja, Kogi State, urging workers and citizens to suspend data purchases from telecommunications companies, which have also become one of their most effective tools for exploiting Nigerian citizens.
The communiqué, signed by Joe Ajaero and Emma Ugboaja, Congress’ President and General Secretary, respectively, instructed NLC State Councils and industrial union affiliates to quickly sensitise and mobilise their members and the general public in their jurisdictions.
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