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2023: Expert Urges INEC To Upgrade BVAS

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The Managing Director of New Horizons, Mr Tim Akano, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently upgrade the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the forthcoming polls.
Akano, who heads the computer training firm, made the call on Saturday in Lagos at the celebration of the World Data Privacy Day organised by Data and Knowledge Information Privacy Protection Initiative (DKIPPI).
The theme of the celebrations is “Understanding Privacy and Online Risk in Digital World Today’.
He said that regardless of the performance of BVAS in the next three weeks, there was a need for an urgent upgrade against the background of the over-voting recorded in the recent Osun governorship election.
According to Akano, 2023 World Data Privacy Day celebration could not have come at a better time.
“This will be the first time in the history of elections in Nigeria that the country would rely on wholesale technology to choose its next president.
“Will BVAS lead to a breakthrough or a breakdown of Nigeria even though BVAS end -to-end encryption security offers more than a kilogramme of comfort and confidence?
“It is good and helpful nonetheless and it is in the best interest of INEC in particular and Nigeria in general to pay more than a casual attention to what we call Man -in-the -Middle attack or a replay attack which dark hackers can exploit to intercept, modify and retransmit the election data while in motion or transit,’’ he pointed out.
Akano said that more importantly, transmitting sensitive data using the GSM technology which BVAS depended on was not as water-tight as using the satellite technology.
He said that a reconfigured BVAS 2.0 would definitely be capable of identifying and automatically eliminating cases of over-voting from the source polling units using certain Artificial Intelligence technology.
He said that it would thereby save INEC from avoidable embarrassment of having to harmonise their data, as it happened in Osun with three results in one election.
According to him, time is no more for the implementation of this reconfiguration before the Feb. 23 presidential election but suffice to say that the technology to arrest over-voting by BVAS exists today.
“If the F-35 American fighter jet, the most sophisticated fighter jet in the world, can be hacked, BVAS is not absolute,” he said.
He, however, described data security privacy as a strong iron steel installed on the window to prevent theft which should be embraced by individuals and organisations.
In his address, the Convener, Mr Tokunbo Smith, expressed excitement because many government institutions, corporate bodies and professional bodies have joined in celebrating the World Data Privacy Day.
He said that DKIPPI had contributed and was still contributing to the development of Data Privacy and Protection in Nigeria.
Smith said that the desire of the initiative to create awareness on data privacy and educate the public on the importance of data privacy was already yielding positive results.
NAN reports that the highlight of the event was the presentation of awards to some individuals.

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Why Wike Is Playing God In Rivers -Asari Dokubo

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A former Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo, has claimed that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is “playing god” in the current political crisis that has pitched him against the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
Dokubo also chided President Bola Tinubu for, according to him, handing over “Rivers and Bayelsa” to the ex-governor.
“He is now playing god. It is dead on arrival, all those things that he is doing,” Dokubo said in a video that surfaced on X.com on Monday.
He added, “I advise my friend, President Bola Tinubu; what you are doing to all Ijaw, Ikwerre people in Rivers State (sic). You took Rivers state and gave it one man”
In April, Fubara revealed that the administration has raised the monthly Internally Generated Revenue of the state from N12 billion which he met upon assumption of office to N27 billion.
Dokubo described the development as commendable while alleging that the governor only had access to N6 billion when he assumed office.
“The governor had come out to say that the IGR for Rivers State is now N27bn up from N12bn. The governor is even being economical with the truth. When the governor came in, they were giving him a paltry sum of N6bn,” he said.
Meanwhile, in another twist to the ongoing crisis, Fubara on Monday said that he would set up a panel of inquiry to look into the affairs of governance in the state.
He disclosed this during the swearing-in and administration of the oath of office on Dagogo Iboroma, SAN, as the Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice.
The governor criticized recent comments by the former Attorney-General of the State and Justice Commissioner, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, who resigned from his cabinet over a fortnight ago and urged the new Attorney-General to defend the state.
He stated, “It is not the one that while you were here… the only thing you do is to sabotage the government.
“Instead of you to close your mouth, you publicly claim that you’re a learned person to tell people that you’re the Chief Law Officer. Chief Law Officer, you were here and went to stand before a Magistrate Court.
“At that time you didn’t remember that you’re a Chief Law Officer going against the ethics of your job.”

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Investors, Tourists To Get Visa Within 48 Hours, FG Assures

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The Federal Executive Council chaired by President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a tripartite committee to streamline visa processes and acquisition for investors interested in investing in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed this, yesterday, after the FEC meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“Our visa processes are becoming cumbersome. The ease of doing business is also tied to our visa processes.
“Going forward, those investors, tourists would find it easy to acquire a visa within the next 48 hours,” Idris said.
The meeting which began on Monday was adjourned till Tuesday to allow for other “far-reaching” decisions, the information minister had told journalists.

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Panel To Probe Governance In Rivers Underway -Fubara …Swears In Iboroma As New Attorney-General

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Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared his readiness to set up a panel of inquiry to look into the affairs of governance in the state.
Fubara disclosed this during the swearing-in and administration of the oath of office on Dagogo Iboroma, SAN, as the new Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice.
The governor criticised recent comments by the former Attorney-General of the State and Justice Commissioner, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, who resigned from his cabinet over a fortnight ago and urged the new Attorney-General to defend the state.
Fubara stated, “It is not the one that while you were here… the only thing you do is to sabotage the government.
“Instead of you to close your mouth, you publicly claim that you’re a learned person to tell people that you’re the Chief Law Officer. Chief Law Officer, you were here and went to stand before a Magistrate Court.
“At that time you didn’t remember that you’re a Chief Law Officer going against the ethics of your job.”
Addressing the new AG, the governor said, “You have a big task. As it is today in the local parlance, they say the jungle has matured. We will be setting a panel of inquiry to investigate the affair of governance.”
The governor further said there was a deliberate attempt to sabotage his administration, saying, “If we disagree, no matter how bad it is, it should be resolved.
“But it has become very clear that this disagreement there is no headway to it, and for many reasons, there is very visible evidence that there is sabotage, a deliberate attempt to sabotage this administration.
“Maybe where they are they are telling them nothing will happen, it is happening here live, we have our own legislators that are performing their duties according to the Constitution. So that record is threatened.”

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