E-Business
ICT will Play Crucial Role in Next Elections – Akem
Emmanuel Akem, an engineer by training is director, information and communication technology (ICT), Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec).
Akem has over 15 years experience on software. He talks on the commissions operations and the growing desire on e – voting in the subsequent elections. Akem spoke to Christopher alu in Abuja.
INEC and e-Voting System
We were able to use some electronic means in the general elections conducted in 2007 to process and transmit results for the whole world to see.
We used computers to receive and arrange the results in a chronological order to make it quick, but the lawmakers are meant to change the law on voting; we cannot adopt the e-voting system now. So, unless they reverse the law on e-voting system, we cannot use the voting machine as an instrument of balloting in Nigeria.
Terrestrial Coverage during Elections
In the last elections we had live broadcast, though not similar to that of what took place in the U.S where they had all ICT facilities to reach out to the world. They are much more ready for e-voting and c-system display there. Their Internet communications work well, in fact, they have a channel that covers all political activities down to election results, displayed on electronic boards for the world to view.
We are yet to reach this stage but we are making efforts to draw closer. I believe by the next elections, we would come online with transmission gadgets for people in and around the world to view us.
We are also planning to have a channel that can be used for outreach purposes and other activities during elections, so that any controversy generated would be tackled amicably. This would include electronic boards that would project all activities on elections and display results, and a network that will ensure connectivity in the next elections, similar to what happened in America.
Online Campaigns
Political parties and contestants are allowed to do online campaigns if they have the capacity to do it. Inec cannot stop them, rather, we would use that to monitor and follow their activities provided they stick to our rules and regulations, and also do not use that to hurt the feelings of the people. Online campaign is very good. It gives a projection of a dynamic society that is ICT compliant. From the very beginning, it can hinder littering of the city with bill/posters on the wall. Electronic board can be strategically mounted in some parts of the cities, and a politician can use that for his e-campaign and e-transactions. It is one most efficient and effective means of modern technology communication that can help to achieve set objectives in present times.
Box Snatching
We are seriously working on this very particular issue you have raised.
Inec wants to go the whole length this time to make sure that modern devices are used to detect those who snatch ballot boxes. This boils down to the use of modern technology facilities that would give the desired results. There are electronic voting machines just like I earlier said. If we are allowed to use them, nobody can snatch ballot boxes. Once you cast your vote, it captures your thumbprint on the dashboard and your vote is automatically counted. You cannot thumbprint twice because it will reject that command. There is also electronic the ballot box, where votes are cast and it is only the key numbers that are set, will open it. We have plans for these, but until the lawmakers reverse the law, we cannot use them here in Nigeria. The snatching of ballot boxes and thuggery are offences that Inec is seriously against. We must improve on our technology so that people will see the futility of snatching ballot boxes, although it involves a lot of capital, which the government alone cannot afford. So, it is the duty of the private sector with NGOs, concerned Civil Society groups, to go into partnership in order to assist in that direction, just like what happened in America recently.
Website
We have a website and voter’s response centre as well as other IT means of reaching out to people. On how best we can answer questions and also be accessed, we are yet to go digital on that – whereby people from everywhere around the world can view us. But we are planning to do that in the subsequent elections.
Challenges Ahead
One of the biggest challenges is to improve on the facilities to meet up to world standard during elections, in the areas of electronic transmission of results, e-voting systems, collation of these results. Another challenge is that of reversing the law by the National Assembly to enable my office work properly.
E-Business
Schmidt, Ex Google Chief Says AI Risky in Terrorist Hands
![](https://www.nigeriacommunicationsweek.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Eric-Schmidt.jpg)
Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO has expressed concerns about the extreme risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) falling into the hands of terrorists or rogue states.
![Schmidt, Ex Google Chief Says AI Risky in Terrorist Hands](https://i0.wp.com/www.nigeriacommunicationsweek.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Eric-Schmidt.jpg?resize=573%2C254&ssl=1)
Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO
He warned that nations such as North Korea, Iran, and Russia could adopt AI technologies to develop weapons capable of causing significant harm, including biological weapons.
Schmidt urged governments to oversee private tech companies, emphasising, “The real fears I have are not the ones most people discuss about AI, I talk about extreme risk.”
“I’m always worried about an ‘Osama Bin Laden’ scenario, where truly evil individuals take control of some aspect of modern life to harm innocent people,” he added.
With private companies driving AI advancements, he stressed the need for careful government monitoring and regulation. “It’s really important that governments understand what we’re doing and keep their eye on us,” he said.
His remarks followed a two-day AI summit in Paris, where the UK and the U.S. declined to sign a communiqué outlining the future direction of AI. The declaration on “inclusive and sustainable artificial intelligence for people and the planet” was endorsed by 57 countries, including India, China, the Vatican, the EU, and the African Union Commission.
The UK justified its decision, stating that the agreement lacked “practical clarity” on global AI governance and national security concerns.
Schmidt supports U.S. export controls restricting the sale of advanced AI microchips to certain countries, aiming to slow adversaries’ progress in AI research.
He also highlights the importance of international collaboration on AI safety, suggesting that cooperation with nations like China is essential to addressing global AI challenges.
E-Business
OpenAI CEO Rejects $97.4Bn Takeover Bid from Elon Musk
![](https://www.nigeriacommunicationsweek.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Open-AI.jpg)
Sam Altman, chief executive of ChatGPT-owner OpenAI, has firmly declared the company “not for sale” following a $97.4bn (£78.4bn) takeover bid from a consortium led by Elon Musk.
![OpenAI CEO Rejects $97.4Bn Takeover Bid from Elon Musk](https://i0.wp.com/www.nigeriacommunicationsweek.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Elon-Musk.jpg?resize=563%2C229&ssl=1)
Elon Musk
Speaking at the AI Action Summit in Paris, Altman emphasised OpenAI’s mission to develop AGI (artificial general intelligence) for the benefit of humanity.
Marc Toberoff, attorney for Elon Musk, confirmed the bid submission on Monday.
In response, Altman humorously offered to buy Twitter for $9.74 billion on Musk’s platform.
Unlike many tech giants, OpenAI is not publicly traded but operates through a complex partnership between non-profit and for-profit entities.
Musk aims to return OpenAI to its non-profit roots, despite owning a rival firm, xAI.
Christie Pitts, a tech investor, expressed scepticism about Musk’s intentions, noting his competitive interests.
Altman echoed this sentiment, suggesting Musk’s move disregards OpenAI’s mission.
Altman, who holds no stock in OpenAI, advocates transforming the organisation into a fully for-profit company to raise more funds for AI research.
Although the board has the final say, the $97.4bn offer falls short of OpenAI’s previous $157bn valuation and rumoured $300bn in future funding talks.
Toberoff stated the consortium might increase their bid. Meanwhile, OpenAI is collaborating with Oracle, a Japanese investment firm, and an Emirati sovereign wealth fund on “The Stargate Project,” a $500 billion AI infrastructure initiative announced by President Donald Trump.
E-Business
Adobe Launches AI Video Tool to Compete with OpenAI
![](https://www.nigeriacommunicationsweek.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Adobe-logo.jpg)
Adobe yesterday released the first public version of an artificial intelligence tool that can generate video clips and revealed how much it will charge, but said it will not set pricing for major users such as studios until later this year.
The Firefly Video Model, as Adobe is calling the service, will compete against Sora, a model developed by ChatGPT creator OpenAI, and startup Runway, both of which currently offer video-generation services. Facebook owner Meta Platforms has also developed a video-generation AI model but has not given a timeline for when it will be released.
Adobe’s model differs from its rivals because it is geared toward generating clips that will fit into how film and television studios use Premiere Pro, its flagship video editing software.
To that end, many of the features that Adobe is emphasizing revolve around feeding existing shots into the video model and asking it to generate clips that fix or expand on shots that were taken on a real production set but that did not come out quite right.
Adobe said the service will generate five-second clips at 1080p resolution. While that is shorter than the clips of up to 20 seconds generated by OpenAI’s service, Adobe executives said the majority of individual clips in most productions are only three seconds.
Adobe said a user can generate 20 clips per month for $9.99 and 70 clips for $29.99. That compares with 50 videos for $20 per month with OpenAI’s plan at lower resolution and a $200 OpenAI plan that can handle longer, higher resolution videos.
Adobe is also working on a “Premium” pricing plan for studios and other high-volume video users and will release those pricing details later this year. Alexandru Costin, Adobe’s vice president of generative AI, said the company is working to generate 4K video and will remain focused on quality rather than longer clips.
“We actually think that great motion, great structure, great definition scheme, making the actual clip look like it was film, is more important than making a longer clip that’s unusable,” Costin told Reuters.
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