Jonathan names Yusuf Kazaure MD/CEO Galaxy Backbone

ITRealms:

President Goodluck Jonathan has named Mr. Yusuf Kazaure the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone Ltd, with effect from Friday, 5 September, 2014, ITRealms can authoritatively report.
 
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim who disclosed this in a letter dated 29th August, 2014, congratulated Kazaure and enjoined him to take the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) company to greater heights. 

ITRealms recalls that Mr. Kazaure replaces Gerald Ilukwe, the pioneer Managing Director and Chief executive of Galaxy Backbone Ltd whose tenure ends on 4th September 2014 following an eight-year meritorious service and outstanding leadership.
Mr. Ilukwe in an internal email to employees announcing the appointment wrote, “Dear colleagues, join me in congratulating Mallam Yusuf Kazaure on his recent appointment as MD/CE of Galaxy Backbone Limited effective 5th September, 2014. This elevation is an honour and responsibility well deserved. I enjoin everyone to give him all the support needed to succeed in moving this fantastic company to even greater heights. Congrats Mallam Yusuf!”
ITRealms notes that Yusuf Kazaure is a seasoned professional with over 25 years cumulative working experience spanning Construction, Banking, Government and Information Technology.
In 2002, he was appointed as the pioneer Managing Director/CEO, Galaxy Information Technology and Telecommunication Ltd - a Jigawa State owned ICT company. He was responsible for the planning, setting up and running of the award winning Jigawa Broadband Network.
His passion for deepening the role of ICTs for effective governance and national development resulted in Yusuf being a key member of the initial core team of Galaxy Backbone Plc in 2006.

As one of the pioneer staff of Galaxy Backbone, Yusuf at various times headed the Business Operations, Education, Development and States; which focused essentially on ICT4D Initiatives and customer services departments of the company.

Before his appointment to the top post, Mr  Kazaure was the Executive Director, Corporate Services.

In the eight years he has been with Galaxy Backbone, the company has laid the foundation for e-Government by creating an enabling platform that currently connects over 700 Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in over 3,500 locations across the country.

Yusuf possesses a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Bayero University Kano and an M.Sc in Architecture from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, as well as a Diploma in Computing from Oxford University.

An avid sportsman, his interests include playing Squash, Golf, Swimming, Horse riding, and Farming.

He is married with children.

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Iconway launches PricePadi.com

ITRealms:

An online service company, Iconway, has launched PricePadi.com, which allows customers to search for and discover products available from different sources across Nigeria, reports ITRealms.

PricePadi.com features over 10,000 product items under categories of mobiles devices, electronics, computers and appliances from hundreds of leading brands.

ITRealms recalls that its wide selection of products could easily be navigated using its search and recommendation technology making it easy for customers to find what they need faster and view the available product offers online.

Iconway Founder, Oduntan Odubanjo told ITRealms that they have built a solution, which though far from perfect provides a great user experience for Nigerian shoppers to research items before they purchase.

"Our goal is to allow Nigerians make informed purchasing choices and we will be investing over the next couple of years to take this to the next level” he said.

Odubanjo further hinted ITRealms that the recent growth of e-commerce in Nigeria as he explained that this growth created the need for consumers to have access to the kind of information to make it easier for them to not only make informed decisions about related goods and services but to also discover where to get them online.

ITRealms, the online shopping services company comes at a time when Nigerians appear to be embracing the culture buying products online especially with the advent of various online stores selling goods online as well as with the Federal Government’s push for a cashless society.

Remmy Nweke:

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Google Nigeria unveils YouTube masthead

ITRealms:

Advertisers and brand owners in Nigeria now have an unparalleled opportunity to compete in the global market sphere with Google Nigeria’s unveiling of a significant online advertising tool known as YouTube Masthead, reports ITRealms.

The new tool, ITRealms gathered, allows brands to advertise on the YouTube homepage through customized mastheads for a whole day.

The masthead, ITRealms learnt, was the first of its kind in Nigeria offering an opportunity for advertisers to explore the YouTube homepage with classy video plug-and-play format that helps brands interact with the consumers. The homepage aims at building awareness, influencing perceptions and to rev-up the mind and market share of the brand, while remaining consistent with the overall YouTube experience.

Mrs Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, Country Manager, Google Nigeria explained that “Online is now an essential part of the marketing mix and more advertisers than ever are utilising the benefits and alongside traditional media. Since YouTube was launched in Nigeria in 2011, there have been lots of interests from brands wanting to brand and ‘takeover’ Google properties.

ITRealms recalls that the launch of Youtube Masthead which is essentially the full takeover of the Youtube homepage now presents advertisers a terrific opportunity to engage with YouTube users when they arrive on the YouTube homepage (www.youtube.com.ng).

“It is a highly effective online advertising platform for reaching massive audiences with an affordable budget,” she said.

Teju Ajani, YouTube Content Partnership lead in Sub Saharan Africa stated that “YouTube receives over 1 Billion unique global users every month, with over 100 hours of videos uploaded every minute, this presents a massive opportunity for brand managers looking to boost exposure”. “Basically brands and advertisers will only be limited by their imaginations and creative muscle with this new advertising format,” she concluded.

The new YouTube Masthead format is already gaining ground with top Nigerian brands like Glo, Airtel, UBA, Rexona, Star, Gulder and Samsung having already run campaigns to drive traffic, attract subscribers and engage Nigeria’s growing YouTube user population.

YouTube offers countless opportunities to a wide range of advertisers, allowing them to connect with a diverse international audience in new ways. Advertisers in Nigeria will now be able to reach consumers in their different destinations, amassing massive flow of referral traffic through YouTube and increase brand related searches on Google.

 
Remmy Nweke
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Pix: Mrs Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, Country Manager, Google Nigeria

VC Ahaneku lauds Prof. Okunna on MassComm facility

DigitalSENSE Campus Pavilion

The Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe Unizik (UNIZIK), Awka, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku, has lauded Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna and UNIZIK’s Mass Communication Department for transforming the school’s mass communication auditorium into a state-of-the-art facility, reports DigitalSENSE Campus Pavilion.

The project is a brainchild of Prof. Okunna, who is back teaching at the university, and after whom the auditorium is now named.

Declaring open the auditorium penultimate Thursday, Prof. Ahaneku said that whenever they have opportunity that will benefit students, they would not hesitate.

“The Department of Mass Communication started this process as a department, using the resources available to the department and they have keyed into the vision of the current administration.

“I thank the HOD, the departmental team and Prof. Stella Okunna who motivated and stimulated this idea. I’m saying that for us in the university system, we have to provide the necessary facilities for the students to study and the public.

“So, in all, the locations where we have our facilities, whether in the classroom or in the field, we should address such facilities.

He also emphasized that as communicators they identified the auditorium as a very important facility to address and they have refurbished their auditorium so that the students can sit there for exams, lectures, seminars and brainstorm as communicators.

“What they have done today is to lay a good foundation for a good learning environment for the Department of Mass Communication and its students” he said.

While advising the students to maintain the auditorium by keeping it clean at all times, the VC urged the teachers, as the mentors, to continue in the good direction.”

On her part, Prof. Okunna said that she was overwhelmed with the words of the VC, adding that she appreciates him for setting a new standard in the institution.

She said, “I want to appreciate our VC for setting a new standard in the university. I am highly impressed. The HOD of Mass Communication is young and very vibrant and we will always support every good idea she comes up with. The welcome back the department gave me when I came back after my appointment as a commissioner was unprecedented and I will always support this department as much as I can.”

Also expressing her delight at the day’s event, the Head of Department, Dr. Ifeoma Dunu, noted that it was an exceptional day and a dream come true for the department, adding that the auditorium will not only serve the students and the department, but will also attract income to the department. 

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Nnenna rebuffs WEF’s NetMundial invite

ITRealms:

Internet Citizen and key lead of the global Civil Society, Nnenna Nwakanma has rebuffed the invitation extended to her for the World Economic Forum (WEF)-organized NetMundial in Geneva, Switzerland, reports ITRealms.

The World Economic Forum, ITRealms recalls was rooting for its own NetMundial on August 28, 2014, which has been characterised by alleged misplaced consideration on the kind of participants invited for the event.

This is coming after the popular Brazilian government hosted the initial NetMundial a few months ago which attracted global stakeholder excitement.

Nnenna in an exclusive chat with ITRealms noted that her name was first on the leaked list on Civil Society on her personal recognition, but has since decided she will not be in Geneva.

“I will not be in Geneva. First because I do not have the time and energy to go through the humiliating 10-weeks Schengen visa process and secondly because I am already booked elsewhere,” she told ITRealms.

According to Nnenna, her reply to the invite was "I will be absent, but I will contribute."

ITRealms further gathered that participants in excess of 104 are expected to grace the WEF’s version of NetMundial.

Remmy Nweke:

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Pix: Nnenna Nwakanma