NEW POLICE AIG’s TAKE OVER IN LAGOS, BENIN, PORT HARCOURT TUESDAY

AIG Aderanti

The new Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Lagos, AIG Kayode Aderanti, will assume office Tuesday, at Onikan.

AIG Aderanti who has just finished his Masters Course at the Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic studies, Kuru, Jos, is taking over from AIG Abdulmajid Ali, who has been redeployed to Force headquarters, Abuja to take charge of the Special Protection Force (SPU).

Before his appointment as AIG Zone 2, comprising Lagos and Ogun states, Aderanti had served as Commissioner of Police in charge Lagos state, Commissioner of Police, Federal Operations, and Commissioner of Police, Peace-keeping  both at Force headquarters.

Also, the new AIG in charge of Zone 5, Benin, AIG Mohammed Adamu Lafia will resume in the Edo State Capital Tuesday.

AIG Adamu who is the Vice President of INTERPOL, the International Police Organization, was at one time, Commissioner of Police, Enugu state.

Zone 5 Command consists of Edo, delta and Bayelsa states.

AIG Marafa is the new AIG in charge Zone 6, calabar. Zone 6 consist Rivers, Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.

AIG Kola Shodipo, formerly AIG Training at Force headquarters has been moved to Apapa as AIG in charge of Maritime. He was one time Commissioner of Police in charge of Special Fraud Unit (SFU). 

Meanwhile, a new Commissioner of Police has been appointed for Ekiti state. He is CP Wilson Inalegwu. Until his appointment, he was CP in charge Counter Terrorism unit at Force headquarters.

WAR ON CORRUPTION: POLICE X-SQUAD, NOW TO INVESTIGATE FEDERAL, STATES, LG AGENCIES—IGP IDRIS

In line with the anti-corruption stance of the Federal Government, the Police X-Squad will henceforth carry out investigation of corruption cases in government agencies and Parastatals at federal, state and local government levels in the country.

 

Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who made this known at the inauguration of the re-branded Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU) in Abuja, noted that the X-Squad of the force is an established unit primarily responsible for arresting, investigating, discipline and prosecution of erring officers and men of the police force.

 

“These officers and men are those accused of corruption, corrupt tendencies and those who compromised their official positions for pecuniary gains and interest” he said.

 

Emphasizing that “The X-Squad is empowered, have been reinvigorated and properly equipped to carry out their duties and other responsibilities effectively in accordance with the law”, the IGP said, “The X-Squad will not limit itself to corruption cases within the force alone but to other agencies of government in the federal, state and local government levels”.

 

Throwing more light on the Re-branded Complaints Response Unit and new flyers printed in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba to be distributed nationwide, Idris said, “The unit is a department of the force saddled with responsibility of receiving and resolving all complaints of police professional misconduct emanating from policing activities and operations nationwide.

 

IGP Ibrahim Idris

“The unit is available 24 hours a day to listen to members of the public from across Nigeria. In line with the change agenda of the federal government of Nigeria and the ‘Change Begins With Me Campaign’, the Nigeria Police force under my leadership is ensuring accountability by ensuring that citizens and residents of the country have a unit through which all grievances against police actions and in-actions are taken and redressed.

 

Continuing the IGP said, “The PCRRU has provided seven different platforms which are inscribed on the flyers through which members of the public can reach the unit vis a vis phone call, SMS, WhatsApp, Blackberry messenger  (BBM), Twitter, Facebook and email.

 

He added that the PCRRU will work closely and in synergy with X-Squad unit by passing promptly, complaints against police officers and men across the country emanating from members of the public to the X-Squad for immediate action.

How terrorists recruit, radicalise youth

By Ishola Balogun

Group of Terrorists

Young Ahmadu John had a mission. It was as simple as touching two wires together. He had been promised heaven on earth. As he was told, there would be a blast, meant to obliterate the infidels, but God would spare him. He would be saved from hell fire and would be admitted into eternal bliss, he would become a martyr while his parents would be free from their abject poverty.

With all these promises, he was dressed and rigged with explosives beneath his shirt, the young boy, who was plucked from the streets of Borno, North East Nigeria a few months earlier was driven to his target area. Minutes before he was due to execute the attack, Ahmadu called his father and intimated him of all the promises including the meager money supposedly to lift his parent out of the overwhelming poverty. His father, declined, cried “No’ come back home!’, but it was too late.

That was the last interaction between him and his father before he was turned into a human bomb killing himself and several other innocent people. Ahmadu’s story is not unusual. In Nigeria and of course all over the world, terrorists have used a wave of young men and women as bombers basically because they are vulnerable and can easily be indoctrinated and brainwashed.

Remember the young Nigerian Umar Faruk AdulMutallab, who confessed to and was convicted of attempting to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day, 2009.

But how are they recruited and indoctrinated? Why do they succumb to various fables and misrepresentations to kill and maim innocent people all over the world? If it is true that poverty leads to ignorance and a possible factor what with those well-to-do who join terrorists in their dastard acts? In view of the recent Paris attacks by ISIS and their undying Boko Harram collaborators in Nigeria, Saturday Vanguard spoke with experts on the issue.

Brainwashing of weak minds

Sheikh AbdulWaheed Ajagbe, an Islamic and Arabic teacher said: “You know that religion was created to control the minds of the people. Today, with the help of technology, those who are educated twist the Quran to get and control the weak minded people. When you have a few educated people and a mass of the uneducated people in a given society, then there is trouble because the educated ones will use the power of what they know to exploit and control the uneducated and weak minded people.

“These weak minded and uneducated people are fed with one-sided propaganda or better still a wrong and misconceived notion by their leaders and the people they look up to. They will not question what they are being taught, neither will they use critical thinking. This leads to brainwashing. This is what the terrorists do irrespective of where they operate.

Internet as a tool

Religious extremists are increasingly turning to the internet to indoctrinate and radicalise young Muslims. One cannot underrate the power of the internet in corroding the minds of vulnerable youth. An Islamic scholar, disciplined and well behaved cleric told his story of how his only son absconded from home and a few weeks later, he sent a message home that he had gone to Syria and that his parents should not bother about him anymore. The cleric lamented that a few weeks before he absconded, he was found very busy with his computers so much that he had no time for his friends in the community.

Many other young chaps through the internet have been indoctrinated and turned to the battlefield. So, without a doubt, the Internet is the single most important venue for the radicalization of Islamic youth. Internet is a market place where the supply of suicide warriors are in abundance.

A security expert who craved anonymity said: “There are thousands of terrorism sites on the internet. You know them by their symbols. Some even hide their main objects, you get a link and with a single click, it will first take you to motivational sites to spur you. Another click and you’re at a site where you can download scripted talking points that could make one believe he has a justification for mass murder,” he explains.

Recently, it was reported that the Boko Harram recruited no fewer than 200 Cameroonians youths in Kolofata, a small border town in the Far North of the country as as base.

Not about religion

“These misfits do not actually have a religion. Terrorists think about power, they use the power to create fear in people. They want people to fear them, nothing more. So, it is not about religion, it is about self acclamation in the pursuit of personal aggrandisement. You will see children from age 10 carrying weapons already trained to torture prisoners, wearing suicide belts and chanting anti-Western songs.

For the same reason there are terrorists and bad people of every other faith. It is their choice and not a prescription of any religion. No religion permits suicide or killing of people unjustly. The body of any being is not even his property. It was given to him as a trust and it must be kept as such. He has no right to destroy it. Islam forbids all sorts of suicides, whether by bombing or silently killing oneself.

“…take not life, which God hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law: thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom.” (Qur’an 6:151). Islam considers the life of every being as sacred and it does not matter which religion one belongs in upholding the sanctity of life as ordered by Allah. However, the sanctity of human life is accorded a special place.

The first and the foremost basic right of a human being is the right to live. The Glorious Qur’an further says: “…if any one slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.” (Qur’an 5:32)

Quest for personal notoriety

In their quest for personal notoriety, some people become deviants furthering their delusions of being martyrs in the community. Others as we gathered, react negatively though, to abuses and injustice by the state. When Abu Musab al Zarqawi, a street thug, beheaded an American businessman, he became a rock star over night.

Ustaz Ajagbe described this notion as tripe and rubbish. “The ultimate success of their mentor is to manipulate them and get them to do what he wants. Killing yourself and other innocent people is not in any way near the kind of martyr the Prophet described. Like I said earlier, they are being brainwashed.”

People become misguided and act in such a way because they are lost in their belief. Some Muslim youth who have lost their identities and lost control of their minds fall victims. They become tools in the hands of these extremists and fundamentalists. They are taught a very radical and misrepresentation of the Qur’an and Hadith and most often than not, they are sent on mission of no return killing other innocent people.

www.vanguardngr.com/.../german-multinational-launches-bosch-power-box- initiative-in-nigeria

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/?s=Bosch+Powe+box

Osinbajo, Saraki, Dogara meeting in Aso Rock

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is currently meeting with the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting is believed to be one of the efforts aimed at resolving the issues arising from the Senate’s recent rejection of President Muhammadu Buhari’s $30bn foreign loan request and the 2016-2018 Medium Term Expenditure Framework.

Osinbajo heads the present administration’s Economic Management Team.

The meeting started at about 2pm with the arrival of the heads of the two chambers of the National Assembly in the Vice-President’s office.

NNPC makes sweeping changes, appoints new spokesperson, GGM's

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru on Monday approved the appointment of new Group Executive Directors, GEDs and GGM's for its restructured divisions, as some top officials were either redeployed or seconded to key positions in the corporation, while some were demoted.

In a proposed structure obtained by Per Second News, directors promoted by Kachikwu in July all got confirmed by Baru after initial fears.

Top among those affected was former Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, GPAD, Garba Deen Mohammed, who was downgraded to the General Manager position.

Garba Deen was replaced by Ndu Ughamadu.

A niteclub disc jockey earlier appointed by former GMD Ibe Kachikwu as a manger was relieved of his duties.

Ughamadu, was the spokesman of the Corporation under Dr. Jackson Gaius-Obaseki’s leadership, he was brought back by minister of state, Ibe Kachikwu months ago and made GGM, Government and Labour Relations in the office of the GMD.

Ughamadu, was born on September 24, 1955 in Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria. Son of Clement Peterson and Catherine Nwayawu (Ogbuogwalu) University.

Economic analyst Management Group International, Lagos, 1982. Economic reporter News Agency of Nigeria, 1982-1993. Staff writer Business Times, 1983-1986, editor, since 1990.Group energy correspondent Daily Times, 1986-1988, business editor, 1988-1990, editor, since 1996. Consultant African Trade Promotions Organization, Tangier, Morocco, 1991. Advisor Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Lagos, since 1992.Member Nigerian delegation to many international conference. Anchor man for 2 finance/business programs: The Sunday Show, Money Line, Nigerian television Authority.

German multinational launches Bosch Power Box initiativive in Nigeria

Artisans play a big role in Nigeria’s economy. The Global artisan economy is annually valued at $32 billion and it is one of the largest employers in the developing world.

 

Bosch (www.Bosch.com), one of the world's leading suppliers of technology and services (70.6 billion Euros in 2015), will issue a press release on Wednesday to announce the launch of Bosch Power Box (BPB) in Nigeria.

 

Bosch Power Box (BPB) will assist the thousands of tradesmen and artisans in Nigeria - including plumbers, carpenters, welders and electricians - in growing their business through providing access to the very latest in technology as well as training and technical and financial support.

 

Nigerians artisans will be able to buy, lease or rent the very latest power tools developed by the world's market leader and to be used at these central hubs.

 

The Bosch Power Box not only offers power tools to local craftsmen, but also servicing and maintenance expertise. Free training is another part of the Power Box offering. Allowing artisans and carpenters to upskill by giving them hands-on coaching. Power tools mean increased efficiency and productivity, but also less wastage.

 

Watch the video about the Bosch Power Box Initiative in Ghana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3uFX82Eb5Y (The script of the video is attached).

Merck marks World Diabetes Day (WDD) with the announcement of their Diabetes Award 2016 Winners #MerckWDD2016

The winner from each university has been granted a one year postgraduate diabetes diploma in South Wales University, United Kingdom

Merck kicks off their social media campaign to raise awareness about diabetes early detection and prevention as part of Merck Capacity Advancement Program - CAP Merck Diabetes Award aims to build diabetes experts platform in partnership with African and Asian universities Merck (www.MerckGroup.com), a leading science and technology company, today announced the winners of the Merck Diabetes Award “Every Day is a Diabetes Day” to mark the World Diabetes Day- WDD themed ‘Eyes on Diabetes’. Merck Diabetes Award as part of the Merck Capacity Advancement Program (www.Merck-CAP.com) was launched in April 2016 in partnership with African and Asian universities with the aim of building a platform of diabetes experts across the globe. “Merck plays an important role in building Diabetes Care capacity in partnership with African and Asian Universities. Today marks an important day in the fight against Diabetes as we celebrate World Diabetes Day. In this context, we have announced ten Diabetes Award Winners from Africa and Asia” says Belen Garijo, Member of Merck's Executive Board and CEO Merck Healthcare. “This initiative fully illustrates our commitment to improving access to affordable Healthcare in Africa and other developing countries” Garijo added. The scientific committee received over 500 concept submission applications from universities in Africa and Asia and 10 winners were selected for the award. The winner from each university has been granted a one year postgraduate diabetes diploma in South Wales University, United Kingdom. “Merck Diabetes Award marks another step in our long term commitment to support diabetes care strategies in developing countries through working with local governments, academia and relevant stakeholders in building healthcare capacity with a focus on Diabetes, hypertension and other non-communicable diseases in various countries in Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Latin America” said Rasha Kelej, Chief Social Officer, Merck Healthcare when making the announcement of the winners. Merck invited all medical students to apply for the “Merck Diabetes Award” 2016 with the theme “Every Day is a Diabetes Day”. Students across African and Asian medical universities were asked to submit a concept paper on how to improve diabetes early detection and prevention in their countries and how to encourage their society, scientific community, local authorities, media and relevant stakeholders to think and act on diabetes every day. “Access to diabetic care in Africa will slowly grow with the initiation of this award, because it will create ‘diabetes scholars’ with more insight and knowledge on the best care needed for patients and how to facilitate it,” said Dominic Oduro-Donkor, from Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ghana and a Merck Diabetes Award winner. “The Merck Capacity Advancement Programme is a ground-breaking initiative to control this growing epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, by motivating and sensitising undergraduate students and giving them a chance to gain an in-depth knowledge about every aspect of this disease,” emphasized one of the winners Antara Bagchi, a student at the Indira Gandhi Medical College, India. Ahmed Reja, the President of International Diabetes Federation, Africa and President of Ethiopia Diabetes Association emphasized: “We are very happy to partner with Merck to drive their strategy to build diabetes capacity and roll out the Merck Diabetes Award across the continent. The awards encourage the students to be more innovative and take a leadership position to fight diabetes in their own country.” In addition, as part of its recognition of the World Diabetes Day, the Merck Capacity Advancement Program also launched its European Accredited Clinical Diabetes and Hypertension management 2016 tour across Africa and Asia. The program supports focused training to build diabetes healthcare capacity for medical undergraduates, postgraduates and healthcare providers in partnership with universities across the two continents. More than 5000 medical undergraduates have benefited from the fourth edition of the Merck Capacity Advancement Program which covered eight African countries and is in partnership with Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia; University of Nairobi, Kenya; Makerere University, Uganda; Muhimbili University, Tanzania; University of Ghana; University of Namibia; Eduardo Mondelane University in Mozambique and Agostinho Neto University, Angola. In Asia the tours are being conducted with Maharashtra University, India and University of Indonesia. #MerckDiabetesTips In addition to building capacity among healthcare professionals to provide quality diabetes care, Merck runs a social media campaign providing diabetes patient education through videos and information materials in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and many local languages focusing on diabetes early symptoms and complications to raise awareness on diabetes and the importance of early detection and prevention among communities. To Know More about Merck Diabetes Award: Read below Meet the winners of Merck Diabetes Award 2016 from African and Asian universities: Elisha Kipkemoi Ngetich College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi, Kenya “I am ecstatic at winning the Merck Diabetes Award 2016. I thank Merck for providing this wonderful platform where students can further their studies in non-communicable diseases. With the current surge in the prevalence of diabetes in Kenya and other developing countries, the timing of this award could not have been better. Over the years, I have developed an interest in diabetes because I have seen patients in the different stages of this disease. I have also seen the impact that early recognition and management of this disease can have and I am privileged to broaden my understanding of the disease through this postgraduate diploma course. This will also build me academically and professionally as well. This is the kind of initiative that Kenya and Africa at large needs, an initiative to empower young doctors and other healthcare professionals. This information then trickles down to the patients and ultimately we end up with a healthy Kenya and Africa. I am convinced that the knowledge I will gather during this experience will significantly impact on my practice in the near future and hence a better outcome for our diabetic patients.” Ralph Obure College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi, Kenya “The Kenyan healthcare system faces new challenges in diabetes and other non-communicable diseases and so efforts by Merck to increase capacity are timely and highly welcome. I am honoured to receive the Merck Diabetes Award that will advance my medical career and enable me to provide the much needed expertise in diabetes management in Kenya.” Antara Bagchi Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur, India “Merck is providing an opportunity for the care and control of diabetes in the community especially in Asia and Africa, where non-communicable diseases are becoming increasingly prevalent. The Merck Capacity Advancement Programme is a ground-breaking initiative to control this rampant and growing epidemic of NCDs like diabetes, by motivating and sensitising undergraduate students like us, and giving them a chance to gain an in-depth, holistic knowledge about every aspect of this disease. I am sure that this initiative will have a profound impact on the health scenario, and the incidence and morbidity of NCDs will be lowered significantly.” Samuel Mucheru Aga Khan University, Kenya “This award is important to me because it marks the start of a future career in diabetes management which I am very passionate about. It will help build diabetes expertise in my country, which is badly needed due to the exponential increase in diabetes cases within the population. Moreover, it will help achieve the wider goal of building capacity in diabetes management especially in the low and middle income countries whose non-communicable disease burden is on an upward trend without a commensurate increase in the number of experts to deal with this pandemic.” Tinka George Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Uganda “I am grateful and happy that Merck has provided us with this great opportunity to advance our knowledge in diabetes. This opportunity of increasing the number of diabetes specialists will step up efforts in the fight against this 'silent killer', especially here in Africa where the burden of the disease is skyrocketing day and night. This will help save many lives.” Gloria Ani-asamoah Accra, Ghana “It is a privilege to acquire current knowledge in the management of diabetes. It is my hope that at the end of this course l will be a better advocate in diabetes prevention and offer comprehensive diabetes care. The time is now to curb the menace of disease.” Nujood Al Shirawi Intern, Dubai Health Authority, United Arab Emirates “Diabetes is a lifelong illness which affects the lives of more than 14% adults in UAE. With such a high percentage, everybody in the UAE knows individuals battling diabetes. I am grateful to Merck and Dubai Medical College for enabling the young doctors in the region to participate in such a program where a platform has been created for exchange of knowledge between national and international experts. I am looking forward to the diabetes diploma and believe it will add to my existing knowledge and help develop my understanding of this illness which affects nearly every organ in the body. It was a wonderful experience to be part of this award and I would encourage all my colleagues to participate in any future events.” Najmah Kuddah General Practitioner, University of Indonesia, Indonesia “Indonesia is the fifth largest population with diabetes, yet 73.7% is undiagnosed because of lack of awareness. One of them could be someone we love. This award means everything to me, so I can do something for my family, people and my country”. Dominic Oduro-Donkor Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ghana “In Ghana many people do not have access to healthcare services in order to identify, diagnose and treat diabetes and its complications. It is essential to achieve adequate diabetes care as the number of people living with the condition continues to escalate. There is also a need to commit resources to diabetes education across Ghana and the African continent at large. Until this happens large numbers of people will end up experiencing potentially preventable diabetes-related complications such as blindness, kidney failure and amputation. The reason why this award is important to me is because Merck has given me an opportunity to take my trade outside the consulting room and making it possible for me to help more people, to make my voice louder and to help those who can’t help themselves. Access to diabetic care in Africa will slowly grow with the initiation of this award, because it will create ‘diabetes scholars’ who will have more insight and knowledge on the best care needed for patients and how to facilitate it. Together, our voices will resonate the need for change and improved management strategies, which will change the face of diabetes care in Africa. The mobilization of professionals across the continent of Africa is the first step in forming a platform where ideas can be put across and shared to make diabetic care easily accessible.” Ken Munene Nkonge University of Nairobi, Kenya “Similar to other countries in Africa, majority of people living with diabetes in Kenya are diagnosed late, when the options available for preventing complications of the disease are few and suboptimal. I strongly believe that community-based preventative measures alongside early diagnosis and management of prediabetes and related comorbidities such as obesity and hypertension are essential to reducing the burden of type 2 diabetes on Kenya’s health care system. The Merck Diabetes Award is important to me because it will empower me with the knowledge and skills needed to make this belief a reality across Kenya. As the recipient of this award, I look forward to this amazing opportunity.” Watch the below videos of diabetes patients from India, Indonesia and Africa sharing their experience with diabetes Watch Bhupendra Jaiswal, a diabetes patient in India as he talks about his experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON5q7i9pDlk Watch Suresh Varpe, a diabetes patient in India as he talks about his experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON5q7i9pDlk Watch Ibu Omik, an Indonesian diabetes patient as she shares her experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKSuclTCLcM     Watch Tego Wagimin, an Indonesian diabetes patient as he talks about his experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eBmGHfYnyI   Watch the experience of Zena Ali, a woman living with diabetes in Kibera, Kenya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sucYtW5BVc Watch the below Diabetes Patient Awareness Videos #MerckDiabetesTips symptoms and complication in English, French, Portuguese, and local languages Watch Merck Africa-diabetes detection and prevention patient education tips in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeTip7eI30A Merck Capacity Advancement Program-diabetes detection and prevention patient education tips in French: https://youtu.be/ecgC-xlZn90 Merck Capacity Advancement Program-diabetes detection & prevention patient education tips in Portuguese: https://youtu.be/nAyvXTTQIx0 Watch Merck India diabetes detection and prevention patient education tips in Hindi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRDELKUjpac Watch Merck India diabetes detection and prevention patient education tips in Marathi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4H7Z__LYlE Watch Merck Indonesia diabetes detection and prevention patient education tips in Bahasa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3pC-64h-Xo Watch Merck Africa diabetes detection and prevention patient education tips in Kiswahili: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isi5ThqhNt8 Watch medical students’ testimonies about Merck Capacity Advancement Program and Merck Diabetes Award from United Arab Emirates, India and Africa Watch medical students at the Dubai Medical University as they share their ideas on how to improve diabetes awareness in United Arab Emirates to apply for Merck Diabetes Award: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFRcSEC6fRU Watch testimonies of Medical Students from India on the benefits of Merck Capacity Advancement Program: https://youtu.be/SvIF_JetKO4 Watch testimonies of students from the University of Nairobi, Kenya on the benefits of the Merck Capacity Advancement Program: http://youtu.be/JZVJwmtr7ng

Intracom Telecom Supplies its StreetNode™ Platform to MTN for Trial in South Africa

Intracom Telecom (www.Intracom-Telecom.com), a global telecommunication systems and solutions vendor, announced today that it has successfully completed the live field trial of StreetNode™, its SON (Self Organizing Network) based Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) platform, implemented by MTN’s South African operation. MTN (www.MTN.com) is a digital and telecommunication service provider operating in 22 countries across Africa and the Middle East. Intracom Telecom is a supplier of PtMP solutions to MTN Group.

The trial took place in Johannesburg and the aim was to evaluate the platform’s unique capabilities to provide the most advanced high-quality and high-availability services to MTN’s enterprise customers. MTN was assessing ease of deployment and the capability of the platform. The StreetNode™ solution was tested in both lab environment and external network, and the platform’s software-defined operation allowed activation and reconfiguration in the field in Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) mode, demonstrating unparalleled flexibility.

While traditional PtMP technology only allows homing to a single base station, the trial successfully proved that StreetNode™ automatically reconnects to alternative base stations in the event of the primary base station failing, thus re-establishing connectivity for subscribers rapidly. The trial also confirmed that non-technical telecom engineers could install and commission the StreetNode™ unit quickly and easily, even at night, assisted greatly by the unique auto-alignment feature of the platform.

Navindran Naidoo, Chief Technology Officer at MTN Group, stated: “StreetNode™ demonstrated the same features as its traditional WIBAS™ PtMP platform, but StreetNode’s auto-alignment feature and capability to automatically reconnect to an alternative base station when needed, is certainly an advanced feature.”

John Tenidis, Marketing Director of Intracom Telecom's wireless solutions, stated: “This was a great opportunity to supply our StreetNode™ to MTN and demonstrate our capabilities to continuously innovate and provide solutions to customers that are in need of differentiated services. We are pleased to work with MTN and look forward to further contributing to their critical projects with our products and services.”

The company has been active in the South African market since 2010 and has extensive experience in the design, implementation and support of PtMP networks in Africa. Intracom Telecom innovates in the PtMP field featuring its SON-capable StreetNode™ platform, which is designed to implement any type of network architecture through software-defined radio operation. The platform’s highly-compact form factor together with street friendly aesthetics, allow the platform to blend invisibly with street level furniture.

United States Signs Memorandum of Understanding to Support Primary Education in Sokoto State

 By Ishola Balogun

 

Abuja – The U.S. government, through the Agency for International Development (USAID), announces its continuing support to the education sector in Sokoto state with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) by the USAID Mission Director Michael T. Harvey and His Excellency the Governor of Sokoto Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

 

This five-year MOU sets out the shared and individual commitments for collaboration in the education sector made by both USAID and the Government of Sokoto and provides a framework for mutual accountability for education activities in Sokoto State. The MOU supports the Sokoto state government’s goals and targets in its education sector strategic plans and establishes a preliminary plan for joint monitoring and evaluation of progress.

 

“The United States commends Sokoto State for its extraordinary efforts to provide greater learning opportunities for its children. This MOU will expand the partnership between USAID and Sokoto State to improve primary education in Sokoto,” said USAID Mission Director Michael Harvey.

 

USAID supports Nigeria’s efforts to improve the quality of and access to basic education.  Currently, USAID implements two activities that support Sokoto State efforts to improve the education sector: the Northern Education Initiative Plus and the Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy and Development. These activities build state and local government capacity and systems that will teach approximately 2 million primary school children how to read and allow nearly 500,000 children the opportunity to attend classes in community-based learning centers by the year 2020.

 

For additional information, please contact Erin Holleran at Abujadoc@usaid.gov