NCC Raids Optical Disc Pirates in Port Harcourt

Operatives of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) recently carried out antipiracy raids on suspected pirates of optical discs with the arrest of five (5) suspects in Garrison and Igwuruta areas in Port Harcourt.

Mr. Augustine Amodu, Director of Enforcement, NCC, who disclosed this in a report at the Commission’s headquarter in Abuja said One thousand and four (1004) DVD disc plates and a Laptop all valued at two hundred and fifty thousand naira (N250,000) were seized from the suspects.

Mr. Amodu noted that the suspected pirates specialize in pirating Nigerian DVD films and duplicating multiple films on a single DVD. He gave the names of the arrested suspects as Iyenemi Obene Briggs, Tony Charles, Ezechibuike Waveman, Ezekiel Victor and Paul Eze respectively.

The enforcement raid which was carried out after strategic planning and surveillance was executed with a team of Copyright Inspectors in collaboration with some officials of Music Owner’s Right Association of Nigeria (MORAN) backed up with Armed Policemen.

Meanwhile the arrested suspects were granted administrative bail while investigation continues.

The Director stressed that the Commission remains undeterred in the fight against piracy and assured right owners of its commitment to proactive enforcement and prosecution as it carries out its mandate of protecting copyright works in Nigeria.

Source: Nigeria Communicationsweek

21st Century Technologies Rejigs, to Solve Nigeria’s Major Challenges

21st Century Technologies Limited, Nigeria’s information technology powerhouse has rejigged her operations to solve some of Nigeria’s toughest challenges, Mr. Wale Ajisebutu, chief executive officer of the company has said.

Nigeria’s socioeconomic challenges includes: power and energy infrastructure, food security and agriculture, wealth creation and employment, mass transportation, land reforms, security, and education.

Each of these problems has significant negative impacts on Nigeria’s economy.

But 21st Century Technologies Limited has developed sets of solutions to address and shape the present and future of Nigeria and Nigerians.

“Central to all these are tailormade solutions to address these challenges; they are indigenous solutions with global standards. We believe that Nigerians deserve the very best. That is why the solutions are local to address local challenges” Ajisebutu said.

ICT solutions remain the vital instrument that can be used by Nigerians to enhance service delivery strategy and bring about innovations for the development of the economy.

Ajisebutu said “That is why the solutions have been developed by some of the world’s best brains taking into consideration the Nigerian environments, because we cannot copy what work in other climates and expect them to work perfectly here”

According to him, 21st Century Technologies is building infrastructure, platform including applications that will revolutionise ICT in Nigeria.

21st Century Technologies has been in the Vanguard of IT development with the introduction of various portals and applications.

With two decades of experience, it is fully mobilized and perfectly positioned to build converged, multi-service and efficiently managed communications networks in Africa.

It owns and operates the most extensive optical fibre cable metropolitan networks in Nigeria with speeds up to 10Gbps, high-speed Corporate Dedicated Internet Access and IRUs for a total of 10Gbps, fully redundant International subsea fibre capacity with two separate vendors.

It is currently the leading commercial Data Centre Service Provider in Nigeria, specializing in the commercial protection of off-site data, server hosting, indexing, records archiving, etc. in our state-of-the art facilities that meet strict measures of security, stability and fire prevention.

Source: Nigeria Communicationsweek

Information Ministry Bags “FOI Hall of Shame” Award

The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture on Monday joined the growing list of public officials and institutions accused of undermining the effectiveness of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011 as Media Rights Agenda (MRA) named the Ministry this week’s inductee into the “FOI Hall of Shame”.

MRA said in a statement that it inducted the Ministry into the FOI Hall of Shame for its flagrant violation of the several provisions of the FOI Act, including failing to designate an appropriate official of the Ministry to receive requests for information from members of the public; failing to publish the title and contact details of such an official as required by the FOI Act and the Implementation Guidelines issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation; and refusing to accept requests for information from members of the public on the excuse that it does not have an official designated for that purpose, contrary to Section 2(3)(f) of the FOI Act.

The organisation also accused the Ministry of refusing to meet its proactive disclosure obligations under Section 2(3), (4) and (5) of the FOI Act; failing to provide appropriate training for its officials on the public’s right of access to information held by the Ministry and the effective implementation of the Act as required by Section 13 of the Act; unjustifiably refusing to disclose information to members of the public seeking information from it under the FOI Act; and persistently failing to submit its annual report on its implementation of the Act to the Attorney-General of the Federation as required by Section 29 of the Act and the Attorney-General’s FOI Implementation Guidelines.

According to MRA, over the last six years since the FOI Act came into force, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture has submitted only one annual report to the Attorney-General of the Federation, which was the report it submitted in 2012 for the fiscal year, 2011, but has subsequently disregarded its statutory duty to turn in its reports by February 1 of each year over the last five years.

Mr. Ridwan Sulaimon, MRA’s Programme Manager in charge of Freedom of Information, said: “It is tragic that an institution such as the Federal Ministry of Information, which is supposed to be the information gateway to the government of Nigeria and which claims that its mandate includes the management of ‘a dynamic public information system that facilitates access by the citizens and the global community to credible and timely information about our nation’ can be in such shameful violation of a law aimed at enabling citizens obtain information from public institutions.”

According to Sulaimon, “Given the position and responsibilities of the Ministry of Information and Culture, it should be a shining example to other agencies of government in the implementation of the FOI Act and in ensuring that citizens have access to information in an efficient and timely manner. It should, indeed, be able to facilitate access for citizens to information held by other ministries, departments and agencies of government. Unfortunately, the only example it appears to be setting is in enthroning a culture of impunity.”

MRA therefore called on the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) as well as the National Assembly, as the oversight bodies in charge of ensuring the implementation of the Act, to take steps to enforce compliance by the Ministry and other government agencies in similar situations, with the provisions of the Act.

Media Rights Agenda launched the “FOI Hall of Shame” on July 3 to draw attention to public officials and institutions that are undermining the effectiveness of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 through the actions, decisions or utterances.

Source: Nigeria CommunicationsWeek

 

NIGERIA: ORANGE TELECOM, VODAFONE INTERESTED IN ETISALAT NIGERIA

Orange Telecom and Vodafone are seeking to purchase 65 percent of Etisalat Nigeria following the departure of the UAE-based Etisalat Group from its Nigerian business, reports Brandish citing unnamed sources. The daily says following the debt crises that nearly caused the takeover of the brand by a consortium of thirteen Nigerian Banks led by Access Bank, no fewer than five companies have indicated interest to take buy over the shares of the company. But sources close to the company suggested that only Orange and Vodafone have shown what was described as “concrete interests” in the takeover of the troubled company.

Souces say discussion with the two companies are at advanced stages with only the restructuring of the over NGN 370 billion debt as the major snag. Negotiators for Etisalat, which it was learnt, include the chairman of the company, Akeem Bello Osagie, Representatives of the thirteen creditor banks and representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission, are working hard to expedite discussions to mitigate any collateral damage and brand erosion that may compromise the business of the future owners. It was also learnt that the banks are ensuring a workable repayment plan is extracted from the would-be new owners.

What is not clear is whether the two companies are coming from the banks or from Mudaballa Holdings. However, it was learnt that providing maximum comfort for the banks with an agreeable repayment plan is top of the discussions. The discussion, it was also understood, is factoring the huge costs for rebranding that may take a huge chunk of capital in the first one year after the takeover.

Of the two companies, Orange seems to have had some issues in its in African operations and the issues it had in Kenya where it sold its assets in Orange Kenya to Helios Investment may be strong consideration against it. Vodafone on its part has had significant experience in Africa. It is already in Nigeria where it has been providing technology services to companies.

Source: Telecompaper.com

Dangote, 6 Others in Trouble for Breaching Telecom Law

Federal government has reportedly threatened to prosecute Alheri Engineering Company Limited, a telecoms business unit of Dangote Group and six other companies for contravention Nigerian communications laws, according to Technology Times.

Alheri is the telecoms business unit of the business group owned by businessman Aliko Dangote which was granted a 3G licence by national telecoms regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Mr Tony Ojobo, director of Public Affairs at NCC was quoted by Technology Times as saying that a 14-day pre-enforcement notice has been issued the seven companies for allegedly operating with expired licences.

NCC said that the alleged default by the affected communications companies contravenes Section 31 (1) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, the laws guiding telecoms operation in the country.

NCC cited the relevant provisions of the Section to read thus: “No person shall operate a communications system of facility nor provide a communications service in Nigeria unless authorised to do so under a communications licence or exempted under regulations made by the Commission under this Act.”

Meanwhile, “Alheri Engineering Company Ltd, a Dangote Group company, was issued a third generation (3G) licence by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2007, allowing the company to provide carrier and 3G wireless services”, the website of Dangote Group says about its telecoms unit.

According to NCC, the six other affected companies include First Astria Comm. Tech Limited; Elcomserve Nigeria Limited; Egogo Nigeria Limited; EM West Africa Limited; TC Africa Telecoms Networks Ltd and MJ Global Network Services Limited.

Alheri Engineering came into limelight in 2007 when it won a 3G licence for $150 million in a spectrum sale by NCC.

The Dangote company pulled off this feat alongside Celtel Nigeria Ltd. (now Airtel Nigeria); Globacom Ltd and MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd that also won the same licence at $150 million each.

The Alheri 3G licence was later sold by the company to Etisalat Nigeria by the Dangote Group after the former’s telecoms market entry into the country as the fifth GSM Network operator.

Meanwhile, NCC has threatened to prosecute the affected companies for allegedly operating with expired licences.

According to Ojobo, “Pre-enforcement notice is hereby given to the said companies to within 14 days from the date of this publication commence the renewal process of their expired licences. Failing which, the Commission may consider appropriate enforcement action, including, but not limited to reporting your activities to the Nigeria Police for investigation and prosecution.”

According to him, “Members of the public who deal with these companies are hereby advised to insist on sighting a valid licence or evidence of licence renewal process.”

Source: Nigerian Communications Week

Etisalat to Pull out of Nigeria in 2 Weeks

Abu Dhabi’s Etisalat has terminated its management agreement with its Nigerian arm and given the business time to phase out the brand in Nigeria.

Hatem Dowidar, the chief executive of Etisalat International told Reuters on Monday, the company has given few weeks to operators of the brand to phase out Etisalat in Nigeria

The Chief Executiv said the company, with a 45 percent stake in the Nigerian business, is transferring its shares to a trustee after talks to renegotiate a $1.2 billion loan failed.

Dowidar said all UAE shareholders of Etisalat Nigeria, including state-owned investment fund Mubadala, had exited the company and left the board and management.

He said discussions were ongoing with Etisalat Nigeria to provide technical support, adding that it could continue to use the brand for another three weeks before phasing it out.

“There’s a new board and we are not part of that company. We have sent our termination letter for the management agreement,” he said.

Etisalat Nigeria took out the loan with 13 local lenders in 2013 to refinance an existing loan and fund expansion but struggled to repay four years later.

When asked if the company will return to the country anytime soon, Dowidar said “the train has left the station on that one. Being in that market as an investor … are we willing to risk more money compared to the reward for the long-term?”

“Etisalat is among the top two in markets such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt and Afghanistan,” he said.

“(Nigerian) lenders may try to continue to operate the company until they find a buyer (or) they may merge the company with the existing players in Nigeria.

“The brand agreement in either of these two scenarios won’t be a long-term thing, so we take out the brand; in the long term Etisalat won’t be in Nigeria.”

Source: Nigeria telecom news