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Nigerian government backs down over ban on national team
Nigeria heeds Fifa warning over government interference
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The Nigerian government has rescinded its decision to ban the national football team from all competitions, just ahead of a Fifa deadline.
Fifa had threatened to suspend and even expel the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) because of government interference, as well as withholding the $8m (£5.3m) due to the association from the World Cup.
However, the Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, has changed his mind after initially imposing the sanction as punishment for the Super Eagles' disappointing tournament in South Africa.
A statement on the NFF's website said: "Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan graciously rescinded last Wednesday's decision to withdraw Nigerian national football teams from Fifa/Caf competitions.
"The decision was made known at the presidential villa as President Jonathan hearkened to the passionate appeals of top officials of the National Sports Commission, the Nigeria Football Federation, other concerned organs of government and well-meaning Nigerians on the matter."
The key to solving the situation appears to have been a meeting of the NFF's executive committee, which led to nine officials, including the president, Sani Lulu and vice-president, Amanze Uchegbulam, being sacked.
Fifa had earlier written to the NFF, warning that it would be suspended if the Nigerian government had not backed down by the close of business today.
The NFF was told the first effect would be World Cup prize money being withheld, and that Nigeria would be banned from next year's women's World Cup and replaced by South Africa.
Hewlett-Packard (HP) Computer Giant Plans Outsourcing To Morrocco
Company Looks To Hiring 1,000 By Next Year in Morrocco
MARRAKESH, Morocco - Computer group Hewlett-Packard is looking to Africa as a potential platform for technical support for its customers elsewhere in the world, said its managing director Rainer Koch.
"We see Africa as a potential base for providing all sort of services and technical support for customers outside of Africa," commented Koch on the sidelines of conference in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh on development of African cities. "We plan to invest more in the future on the continent on that perspective," Koch added.
He said by end of next year at least 1,000 people will be working for HP in North Africa to support customers abroad. )
Rwanda Africa's Technology Marvel in the Making
Easiest Country To Do Business in Africa
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A few months ago, Rwanda was named the world’s easiest country to do business with by a recent World Bank study. The survey assessed a series of indicators such as ease of starting business, dealing with construction permits, employing workers, getting credit and paying taxes. Rwanda scored high on starting a business, employing workers, protecting investors and contract enforcement. Therefore, what lessons can African economies learn from this tiny country with an unfortunate history?
Rwanda has made strong strategic choices and developed systems to closely monitor and implement reforms. These reforms have created a conducive environment to attract foreign direct investment and stimulate economic growth. Rwanda has heavily invested in technology and over 1,500 primary schools are equipped with computers. The country has embarked on systematic reforms cutting the costs of starting and sustaining business by almost half. It now takes one day to start a business up from 16 days. The registration fees were slashed from $400 (sh800,000) to only $43 (sh86,000). Rwanda’s evolution teaches African economies that developing countries have the potential to deliver sustainable development which can change the livelihoods of their people.
Mobile Phone Users in Africa Worry over Safety
IPhone Screen Explosion in France Creates Fear
Septmber 1, 2009
Some users of mobile phones in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria have expressed fear over the safety of their handsets following another explosion of an iPhone screen in France.
A French security guard said on Tuesday he had received a face full of glass when the screen of his iPhone exploded, the second such reported incident in France.
Yassine Bouhadi, a 26-year-old supermarket watchman from the south-eastern town of Villevieille, said he was typing a text message on Monday afternoon when the screen exploded.
Bouhadi, who says he was hit in the eye with a glass shard, said he was very angry and planned to consult a doctor and file suit for damages.
France's official competition, consumer affairs and fraud watchdog, the DGCCRF, said on Tuesday it had opened an investigation after a French teenager suffered an eye injury in a similar iPhone incident earlier this month.
US technology giant Apple, which makes the iPhone and the iPod music player, assured the European Union on August 14 that the exploding screen cases reported so far were isolated incidents.
The French cases come a few weeks after an uproar in Britain over an exploding iPod owned by an 11-year-old girl.
And a US television station reported last month that an alarming number of iPods had burst into flames, though without causing serious injury, a problem apparently caused by overheated lithium ion batteries.
Nigeria's repairmen
n a dusty, oily alley in the heart of Wuse market in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, 25-year-old Joshua Ejike sits with the guts of a flat screen TV in his lap.
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"There's nothing we can't handle" he says. “LCD screens, DVDs anything.” He came to the capital three years ago from rural Abia state after finishing secondary school. He has never studied any technical or science subjects.
'Pop'
Power-cuts are common in Nigeria, often followed by power-surges when generators are turned on. “Our light [electricity] is not stable and even surge protectors can’t handle it,” says Joshua. A “pop” sound from your TV or expensive new DVD player could mean you need the skills of a repairman.But most repairs are only temporary and it might not be long before the smell of burning diodes fills the room again.
Boss
Napoleon is the boss of these repairmen.He rents part of the shop behind them where reconditioned sound systems are sold. Each of his workers makes around 3,000 naira ($25) a day.“I have been in this business five years. I served under a master, now he set me free and I set up for myself,” he says.“Give me anything dead, I will rewind it.”
Music
"China” specialises in CD players.He brought out a dusty wreck he said he had just finished working on.It looked like it had just been dropped from the roof and kicked about.“Don’t mind the dust, I will clean it. It works.”He fired up the generator and music came out of the speakers.
Mobile phones too
A few yards away under the eaves of another storefront sits Philip Erigbara, a mobile phone mechanic.“We wrote off to the phone company and requested a diagram of the inside, then we taught ourselves to fix them,” he said. A simple problem may take only 1,000 naira ($8) to fix; a complex problem with the software, two or three times that.
Imported parts
Basel Emmanuel sells TV and DVD parts.He brings items like this DVD lens in bulk from Dubai where he travels every few months for his work. Each trip he buys parts worth around 4m naira ($33,000) and brings them back in his hand luggage. He is a little further up the earning scale from the repairmen and lives in a shared house with friends in a nice neighbourhood.
No pay
Festus Chidi is at the bottom of the pile. The 22-year-old sells reconditioned stereo systems bought second-hand in Japan where his boss has a friend.They are shipped by the container-load to Nigeria. This trade is called “tokunbo” which literally means “from outside”.“In a month I can sell half a million naira in stereos for my boss,” says Festus. But he is paid nothing: “just transport money and food,” he says.
Virtual demos over net censorship
Thousands of people are taking part in "virtual protests" against countries accused of censoring the internet.
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For its first Online Free Expression Day, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has created virtual versions of nine public spaces.These areas where protests are not normally possible include Beijing's Tiananmen Square and Kim Il-Sung Square in the North Korean capital Pyongyang.RSF says at least 62 cyber-dissidents are in jail around the world.More than 2,600 websites, blogs, or forums were closed down or blocked last year, the group says.
'Internet enemies'
The RSF demonstrations are running for 24 hours, until 1000 GMT on 13 March. Several hours after they opened, more than 5,000 virtual dissidents were protesting online. Users are invited to create an avatar, choose a message for a banner and take part in one of the demonstrations in Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, North Korea, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Vietnam.This year, RSF has added Zimbabwe and Ethiopia to its list of "internet enemies".The other countries blacklisted by the group are Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam."From now on, we will organise activities every 12 March to condemn cyber-censorship throughout the world," RSF said in a statement."A response of this kind is needed to the growing tendency to crack down on bloggers and to close websites."One of the most targeted internet sites is the popular video-sharing website, YouTube, that has been blocked or banned in a number of countries including China, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Burma and Brazil.The reasons for banning the site vary from country to country, but include government objections to religious and political material, foreign sites and pornography.
Ericsson Unveils Smallest Radio Base Station
The 2008 edition of the GSM Mobile World Congress begun yesterday in Barcelona , Spain, with Ericsson unveiling its new multi standard radio base station called RBS 6000, the smallest base station in the world.
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The base station, according to Ericsson's Vice President, Product and Portfolio Management, Business Unit Networks, Mr Mikael Back, is an energy-efficient site solution, supporting General System for Mobile Communications (GSM), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and Long Term Evolution (LTE ), in a single package. He emphasised that the base station will provide new solutions for advanced operations for network operators at a reduced cost, adding that the base station, which is very small and can be easily moved, will help operators, especially in developing countries, save energy because of its inbuilt energy saving capabilities.
Describing the base station as a new offering from the stable of Ericsson that will shape the direction of Information Communications Technology sector in the future, Back said Ericsson was committed to unveiling solutions that will ensure development of global mass market broadband, both in the fixed and mobile broadband.
In his comments, Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson, said unveiling of the technology was timely, because operators face increasingly complex challenges in terms of operational costs, multiple radio technologies and sustainability concerns. The RBS 6000 series, he added, will truly make a difference, because it is a truly multi-standard system that gives operators what they need for the smooth evolution of their radio access.
Nigeria's repairmen
n a dusty, oily alley in the heart of Wuse market in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, 25-year-old Joshua Ejike sits with the guts of a flat screen TV in his lap.
|
"There's nothing we can't handle" he says. “LCD screens, DVDs anything.”He came to the capital three years ago from rural Abia state after finishing secondary school.He has never studied any technical or science subjects.
Pop'
Power-cuts are common in Nigeria, often followed by power-surges when generators are turned on.“Our light [electricity] is not stable and even surge protectors can’t handle it,” says Joshua.A “pop” sound from your TV or expensive new DVD player could mean you need the skills of a repairman.But most repairs are only temporary and it might not be long before the smell of burning diodes fills the room again.
Boss
Napoleon is the boss of these repairmen.He rents part of the shop behind them where reconditioned sound systems are sold. Each of his workers makes around 3,000 naira ($25) a day.“I have been in this business five years. I served under a master, now he set me free and I set up for myself,” he says.“Give me anything dead, I will rewind it.”
Music
"China” specialises in CD players.He brought out a dusty wreck he said he had just finished working on.It looked like it had just been dropped from the roof and kicked about.“Don’t mind the dust, I will clean it. It works.”He fired up the generator and music came out of the speakers.
Mobile phones too
A few yards away under the eaves of another storefront sits Philip Erigbara, a mobile phone mechanic.“We wrote off to the phone company and requested a diagram of the inside, then we taught ourselves to fix them,” he said.A simple problem may take only 1,000 naira ($8) to fix; a complex problem with the software, two or three times that.
Imported parts
Basel Emmanuel sells TV and DVD parts.He brings items like this DVD lens in bulk from Dubai where he travels every few months for his work. Each trip he buys parts worth around 4m naira ($33,000) and brings them back in his hand luggage.He is a little further up the earning scale from the repairmen and lives in a shared house with friends in a nice neighbourhood.
No pay
Festus Chidi is at the bottom of the pile. The 22-year-old sells reconditioned stereo systems bought second-hand in Japan where his boss has a friend.They are shipped by the container-load to Nigeria. This trade is called “tokunbo” which literally means “from outside”.“In a month I can sell half a million naira in stereos for my boss,” says Festus. But he is paid nothing: “just transport money and food,” he says.
One laptop project loses partner
Intel has pulled out of a project to put cheap laptops in the hands of children in the developing world.
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Citing "philosophical" differences, Intel has withdrawn its funding and technical help from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project.OLPC aimed to boost learning in poorer nations via a custom-built laptop intended to cost no more than $100.Intel's withdrawal is a blow to OLPC which has found few nations willing to buy large numbers of laptops.
Machine code
Intel joined the OLPC in July 2007 and was widely expected to work on a version of the project's laptop that used an Intel chip. Many expected this machine to be unveiled at the CES technology fair which opens in Las Vegas on 5 January.
The first versions of the OLPC or XO laptop were powered by a chip made by Intel's arch-rival AMD. The green and white XO machine was designed specifically for children, was made rugged to cope with conditions in developing nations and could be kept powered using a hand crank.Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said it had taken the decision to resign from the OLPC board and end its involvement because the organisation had asked it to stop backing rival low-cost laptops.On the OLPC board with Intel are 11 other companies including Google and Red Hat.
The chip maker has been promoting its own cheap laptop, the Classmate, in many of the same places as the OLPC.
"OLPC had asked Intel to end our support for non-OLPC platforms, including the Classmate PC, and to focus on the OLPC platform exclusively," said Mr Mulloy . "At the end of the day, we decided we couldn't accommodate that request."He added that the use of AMD chips in the first XO laptops had not influenced its decision. Commenting on the split an OLPC spokeswoman said: "We at OLPC have been disappointed that Intel could not deliver on any of the promises they made when they joined OLPC; while we were hopeful for a positive, collaborative relationship, it never materialised."
She added: "The benefit to the departure of Intel from the OLPC board is a renewed clarity in purpose and the marketplace."Prior to Intel's involvement, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte criticised the chip firm for what he called its attempts to undermine the project's work.He said Intel was selling its Classmate at a loss to make the XO laptop less attractive.
While Dr Negroponte's initial aim was for a laptop costing only $100, the final versions that have been trialled in Nigeria and Uruguay cost $188 (£95).Costs were supposed to be kept low by governments ordering the XO laptop in shipments of one million, but large orders for the XO laptop have, so far, not materialised.In a bid to boost the numbers of laptops available, OLPC ran a "Give One, Get One" programme in the US from 12 November to 31 December.This allowed members of the public to buy two XO machines - one for themselves and one for a OLPC project elsewhere.OLPC said the success of this had helped it to launch programmes in Haiti, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Afghanistan.
Nigeria Lauches a Satellite
TTimes World Report Africa
AT exactly 5.01pm today, Nigeria will make history, as the first Communication Satellite in Africa goes into space today from a location in China.
Named NIGCOMSAT-1, the launch of the satellite, which is coming after the March scheduled date, will take place by 12.01am tomorrow (May 14, 2007). Depending on the speed, the process is expected to take close to about 20 to 30 minutes.
The launch of a satellite entails the transportation of the spacecraft from the ground into the geo-stationary orbit, which is about 35,200km away from the earth. This is the distance into the space.
The entire launch activity, or launch campaign involves the integration of the spacecraft, of the launch vehicle, which is rocket and after the integration, the firing of the launcher into space to transport the spacecraft into the entire orbit.
On the launch schedule, the Managing-Director of the Nigerian Communication Satellite Limited, Ahmed Rufai, told The Guardian in Abuja at the weekend that there was already wide excitement in China over the launch.
Rufai said: "It is going to be launched at exactly 01 seconds early morning of May 14, 2007, Beijing time, which is about 5:01pm of May 13, 2007, Nigerian time.
"You know Beijing is ahead. So, about 5:01pm on Sunday (today), we expect the spacecraft to take off. But it is about .01 seconds of 14th - the first second of 14th in Beijing.
Rufai explained that "by Nigerian time, it is on the 14th on Sunday. In fact, 5.01pm. In China, it will be 12:01am - just after midnight.
"The launch window starts at 23 hours, 55 minutes of 13th in Beijing. They will start the count down. The count down will spill over to 14th - early morning of 14th before the rocket takes off."
He also spoke of the launching procedure, explaining that "the transportation of the spacecraft into the designated orbital position of about 42.5 degree east is what launching is all about."
"It has to be driven in its transport corridor. If it is on the road, it is like somebody moving from Lagos to Benin, or Lagos to Kaduna. At each port that you are driving to, you have a designated route.
"The same thing obtains in the orbit because you have over 350 satellites belonging to various nations in this particular orbit.
"So, you need to drive your own satellite to ensure that you get to the orbit you are targeting otherwise, you will go and shoot somebody else off its own position and you have to pay serious collateral damages for that.
"The driving of a spacecraft using a space vehicle, which is a rocket this time around, to travel from the ground, the launch pad, up to 35,700km away is what the launching activity is all about."
On the impact of the Satellite to the Nigerian economy, Rufai projected that it would enable job outsourcing through the provision of a robust high bandwidth for two-way broadband links between Nigeria and other parts of the world.
Besides, the satellite will, among others:
Bridge the digital divide by providing platform for small/medium scale ICT service providers to partake in the global $1.2 trillion business opportunities.
Conserve capital flight of over $95 million spent on bandwidth by Nigerian users and over $900 million by African users for telephony trunking and data transport service.
Already, the Federal Government is looking beyond the current satellite. According to Rufai, the target is to have at least 10 of such missions in space by the year 2022.
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