Tag: Communication - Page 4 - African News Today

Twitter Ban: Buhari Govt Has Very Thin Skin for Criticism – Ozekhome

5Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

Twitter Ban: Buhari Govt Has Very Thin Skin for Criticism – Ozekhome

Human rights lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has said he was not shocked by the decision of the Federal Government to suspend access to Twitter, saying the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has a penchant for not tolerating punches, but delights in always giving punches to adversaries, real or imaginary. The senior advocate also dared FG to go a step further and “dissolve the Nigerian people which it has become so allergic to and no longer wants to see or hear about”. He disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday titled, ‘When A Tottering Government Twiddles Twitter’. Ezekhome also accused the government of trying to shield its atrocities from global exposure with its decision to indefinitely ban the operations of Twitter in the country. Recall that the Minister of Info...

Nigerians to Submit Phone IDs from July – NCC

21May

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

Nigerians to Submit Phone IDs from July – NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has announced that Nigerians will be required to submit the International Mobile Equipment Identity, IMEI, of their mobile phones to the regulatory body with effect from July. This was contained in the commission’s Revised National Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration. The decision of the regulatory body to commence the implementation of the Device Management System (a Centralised Equipment Identity Register) is approved by President Muhammadu Buhari. The NCC said, “With the aim to curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market, discourage mobile phone theft, enhance National Security, protect consumer interest, increase revenue generation for the government, reduce the rate of kidnapping, mitigate the use of stolen phones for crime, ...

Twitter Favours Nigeria, Turkey to Test Voice Messaging Feature

18May

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

Twitter Favours Nigeria, Turkey to Test Voice Messaging Feature

A popular social messaging platform, Twitter, has added a voice messaging feature to its offerings, choosing Nigeria and Turkey as choice pioneer countries to experiment it before rolling it out globally. The choice of Nigeria is speculated to be connected to the huge subscription it enjoys from Nigeria. Statistics suggest over 7 million Nigerians use Twitter. The voice messaging feature will afford users a limit of 140 seconds for each recording. Twitter while adducing the rationale behind the feature said that there’s a lot that can be left unsaid or un-interpreted using text, and, so with the voice features it hopes to create a more human experience for listeners and storytellers alike. The company in a statement said, “We want to encourage everyone to start private conversa...

18May

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

NIN: NCC Clarifies Fate of Foreigners

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has said that foreigners not spending more than two years in the country do not need to obtain a National Identification Number, NIN, to register SIM cards. This was disclosed in a commission’s Revised National Identity Police for SIM Card Registration. The document partly read, “Foreigners validly transiting through Nigeria or are employed in or reside in Nigeria for less than 24 months are exempted from the mandatory use of NIN requirement. “Persons in this category need to provide justification that they will be residing in Nigeria for less than two years.” However, NIN is compulsory for foreigners who have legal residency, or those who have lived in Nigeria for two years and above. “NIN is mandatory for foreigners with legal r...

SERAP Chides NBC, Issues 48 Hours Ultimatum Over ChannelsTV Suspension

27Apr

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, Judiciary, Nigeria

SERAP Chides NBC, Issues 48 Hours Ultimatum Over ChannelsTV Suspension

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has issued a 48 hours ultimatum to the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, to reverse what it described as the unconstitutional and illegal suspension and a fine of N5 million on Channels Television or face a lawsuit. Reports say the Acting Director-General of the Commission, Professor Armstrong Idachaba, in a letter to the Managing Director of Channels Television, referred to Channels 7pm live broadcast programme of Sunday, 25th April 2021, in which it indicted the TV station of interviewing a leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) allegedly without "caution or reprimand." Reacting to the suspension, SERAP, in a statement issued by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said: "The suspension of Channels Tele...

NBC Suspends Channels TV For Granting Interview to IPOB Leader

26Apr

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, News, Nigeria, Uncategorized

NBC Suspends Channels TV For Granting Interview to IPOB Leader

The National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has handed Channels Television a suspension for alleged breach of broach code. The suspension was conveyed in a letter to the Managing Director of Channels Television, issued by the Acting Director-General of the NBC, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba. According to the letter, the decision was informed by the Channels 7 pm live broadcast programme of Sunday, April 25, 2021, indicting the TV station of allowing a leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) to make secessionist and inciting declarations on air without being cautioned or reprimanded by the station. The commission said the act was in contravention of the broadcast code. It also indicted the station for permitting the guest speaker to allegedly make derogatory and misleading st...

10Apr

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Communication, News, Nigeria, Press Statement

Ezekwesili Threatens to Sue Omojuwa

A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has threatened to sue a blogger and social media influencer, Japheth Omojuwa, for alleged impersonation. Ezekwesili, in a letter by her lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, on behalf of Falana and Falana chambers, expressed shock she was listed as a director in Omojuwa’s media firm, Alpha Reach. A foreign medium, BuzzFeed, had exposed the role Omojuwa and other influencers allegedly played in the social media campaign for the release of alleged fraudster, Alex Saab, a Colombian who has been declared wanted in the United States and is facing extradition charges in Cape Verde. Twitter suspended the accounts of some of the influencers, alleging they promoted an unjust cause. Documents circulating online show that Omojuwa’s company, which was re...

Court Orders Extension of NIN Enrolment by Two Months

24Mar

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

Court Orders Extension of NIN Enrolment by Two Months

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the extension of the deadline for National Identity Number enrolment by two months with effect from Tuesday, March 23, 2021. The extension was granted by Justice Maureen Onyetenu while passing a ruling in a fundamental right suit file by a legal luminary, Monday Ubani, against the Nigerian government, the Attorney General of the Federation, Nigerian Communications Commission and the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy. Ubani had in the suit contested that the two weeks ultimatum previously issued (now extended to April 6, 2021) to telecommunications operators to block SIM cards of Nigerians who have not registered their SIM cards with NIN, will infringe on their constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression, rig...

NIN Compulsory for Bank Accounts, Voter Registration – FG

12Feb

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

NIN Compulsory for Bank Accounts, Voter Registration – FG

The Federal Government on Thursday said that the National Identity Number, NIN, is compulsory for the opening of bank accounts, payment of taxes, and voter registration. This was disclosed by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami in Abuja while hosting the newly elected National Executive Council of the Association Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria. It came at a time when operators have urged the Federal Government to align with the development of a strategic plan to bridge the over N15tn infrastructure funding gap for the telecoms/information communication and technology industry. Pantami in his speech assured the guests that the government was determined to ensure that all Nigerians had their various NINs. He said, “This is most important in th...

6Feb

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, Interview, Nigeria

MTN Expands NIN Enrolment Capabilities

MTN Nigeria has disclosed that it is exponentially increasing capacity to provide National Identity Number enrolment services across its customer interaction touch points pan-Nigeria, rural locations inclusive. The telco in a statement issued on Thursday said it had deployed an onsite appointment booking system designed to limit indoor crowding, alongside standard COVID-19 safety protocols at its service centres, adding that it planned to launch an online version shortly. The company said this was to further support the Federal Government and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy’s efforts to drive the NIN registration. According to MTN, a reliable and sustainable national identity management system would deliver multiple benefits to the telecoms industry and the coun...