Capehi Ltd. is a registered Nigerian consulting outfit that provides expert services and solutions to Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the area of Accounts Systems Management (ASM) and Information Technology (IT)  at a friendly cost.

At Capehi, we offer the following consultancy services:

• Accounts Systems Automation.
•  Secured Remote Access: Also called Online Accounting – This allows you manage your account system from any portable device while at home or on a trip or anywhere that is not your office.
• Capacity Building: We train your Accounting Crew on the latest available accounting systems management solutions for result optimization.
• IT Solutions

BENEFITS OF AUTOMATION

Finance/Accounting is a core business function. Therefore, any process that would enhance the performance of the Accounting function would enhance business performance. The benefits of Computerized Accounts System management are numerous; however, these few areas are highlighted:

•     Brings speed and accuracy in Accounts System Management.
•      Minimizes fraud in accounting process.
•      Ease of producing end of period reports.
•      Instant access to accounting information.
•      Easy documentation.
•      Improves efficiency of Accounting and Bookkeeping departments.
•      Easy computation of tax liabilities.
•      Reduces the work load of Accounting crew.
•      Supports effective internal auditing.
•      Compatibility and Integration.

Require our services? Reach us on:

Telephone: 08030655323, 07067638241.

E-mail Address: capehiltd@gmail.com, capehiltd@yahoo.com

Office Address: 20, Deco Road, Warri, Delta State; 8, 19 street, BDPA, Ugbowo, Benin-City, Edo State.

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DHL has said that the United Kingdom and United States  accounts for about 37 per cent of its export from the country and Nigeria is the second largest market in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Speaking at a briefing, Managing Director, DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. Charles Brewer, noted that Nigeria is closely behind South Africa and the sub-Saharan region is currently the fastest developing one globally.

Great Britain has 21 per cent of the export of DHL products from the country, United States 16 per cent, South Africa 5% and  Canada 5%.

For the inbound products, United States 28 per cent, Great Britain 21 per cent, Germany 7%, France 6% and Italy 7%.

The products that DHL moves include documents 43 per cent, non-documents 12 per cent – mainly oil tools, aircraft spares and samples; import express 12 per cent – mainly IT equipments, machinery and spare parts; other products – 33 per cent. Brewer stated that Nigeria is seen as strategic business hub for DHL in Africa and the small and medium enterprise (SME) is the engine for growth for Nigeria.

He also affirmed that the take-off point for Africa and its vast potentials lies in the big opportunities in the SMEs and DHL is ready to assist and empower the SMEs in the country.

According to him: ”Nigeria is an attractive market for us and, with a population of over 160 million and a GDP growth rate of 7% presents a major opportunity. The opportunity is for us is to expand our footprint within the country and service semi-urban and rural areas so that anyone – from a student to a small business – can access our network.

“And the over 220 countries and destinations that we serve. There are hundreds of SMEs in Nigeria and we need to provide easy access and a team of highly trained Certified International Specialists to lead them to the very obvious opportunities that trading with the world can present.

“Despite the current global economic uncertainty, DHL expects the African region to deliver. As we see the continent ‘surge’ as a result of sector investment, increased consumer spending and economic activity, the future is still bright for the continent. DHL is committed to becoming their provider of choice and as part of that journey we will provide even more access points across Nigeria.

Apart from the expansion of its retail footprint, Brewer’s other priority is around people development and employee engagement are the key to sustainable development.
- The Vanguard

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Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the procurement of one water weed clearing multi-purpose equipment for N278.1bn.

The cost includes payable taxes, $1.3bn and additional N73.6bn.

The Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, who stated this while briefing State House Correspondents after the FEC meeting, said the procurement was aimed at improving safety on the inland waterways.

He added that the equipment would aid navigation and boost economic activities in the various riverside communities across the country.

The minister said it would also rid the waterways of hyacinth and other aquatic weeds.

“The project will increase economic activities within the coastal areas and prevent boat mishaps. The project will create job opportunities for 15 skilled and nine unskilled Nigerians during the period of its execution,” he said.

Umar added that the council also approved the establishment of the Command Control Communication and Intelligence Centre for Sea Ports at the Nigerian Ports Authority.

He said FEC approved the project at the cost of N2.3bn with a completion period of 14 months.

Umar said the project would help in providing a secure environment for ports operations within the Nigerian territorial waters and in curtailing the threat of terrorist activities at the ports.

The project, according to him, will also create 145 job opportunities, including 33 for professionals and 77 for non-professionals during its execution as well as 35 more job opportunities as it progressed.
- The Punch

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The Chief Executive Officer, Gold and Co., United Kingdom, Amjad Ali, has told a United Kingdom newspaper, The Independent, that the Federal Government has ordered 53 gold-plated iPhone 5S mobile handsets  from his firm as part of the memorabilia for the nation’s 53rd Independence anniversary on October 1, 2013.

The gold iphones are said to worth £2.65m (about N682m).

Each of the gold-plated iPhones costs up to £50,000, said The Independent, in its report on Wednesday.

The minimum cost of basic models of iPhone in gold or rose gold is £3,000.

The 53 special phones are to be supplied by Amjad Ali, a Bristol-born owner of Gold and Co. based in Dubai.

Ali, who told The Independent that his firm was “fulfilling an order from the Nigerian government for 53 gold-plated iPhones, added, “We will engrave them with the coat of arms, a shield and two horses. “

However, he neither disclosed when he received the order for the item nor the Federal Government agency or ministry that contracted him.

Gold and Co supplies royal families, governments, and minted customers across Russia, China and the Middle East with special phones.

Some of its customers include the Saudi royal family, which, Ali said, ordered a gold iPhone studded with hundreds of diamonds, including a giant piece that serves as the device’s “home” button.

He explained that before such phones were delivered, “We strip them down and then plate them in copper, nickel and then pure gold.”

The company, according to him, has “limited units per region and each is numbered and placed in a handmade wooden box with a certificate of authenticity and wax seal.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities on Wednesday said the alleged plan to purchase the iPhones showed the government’s insensitivity to the plight of its citizens.

The union, which spoke through its Ibadan zonal coordinator, Dr. Nassir Adesola, urged the Federal Government to first fulfil its electoral promises to the people before engaging in such an “extravagance.”

He said, “It sums up the insensitivity of the Federal Government. For the administration to think of doing this at a time the Minister of Finance is saying that the FG has not enough money to run the country is unfortunate. It seems that the government has gone to sleep and not in tune with the society, it is governing.

“The Federal Government should first cater for its citizens roaming the streets, and rehabilitate its collapsed industries before spending so much for phones. Any government that engages in such a frivolity and extravagance is not serious and its people should reject it.”

However, the Federal on Wednesday denied ever ordering 53 iPhones from the businessman or anybody in commemoration of the nation’s 53 independence.

The Special Assistant (Media and Communication) to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Sam Nwaobasi, told The PUNCH that the report by the foreign newspaper was a lie.

He said, “The Federal Government has not ordered for any 53 iPhones from any businessman anywhere. That is my answer to your question; it is not true, the Federal Government did not order, is not ordering for and has not ordered for 53 iPhones from anybody or anywhere,” Nwaobasi told one of our correspondents.
- The Punch

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has warned that if the ignorance about information communication technology (ICT) in and out of governmet is not tackled, attainment of Vision 20:2020 of the Federal Government will remain a wishful thinking.
NITDA is the clearing house for IT projects in the public sector with the mandate to bring government and its services closer to the people through IT. It was also created to implement of the National IT policy, which seeks to make Nigeria an IT capable country in no distant future.
NITDA’s Director-General, Dr. Ashiru Sani Daura spoke during a visit by a delegation of the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) in Abuja led by its new President, Prof David Adewumi.
He lamented that Nigeria is lagging behind in lobal ranking as shown by the country’s position on the global e-readiness index.
According to him, though ICT penetration was improving, there is need for the country to do more and be front runners in Africa. He stressed the need for massive enlightenment, adding that there was also need for collaboration.
“The transformation agenda and achieving Vision 20:2020 also requires IT,” Daura said.
While noting that NCS had been playing an important role in accelerating IT development in Nigeria, Daura recommended that NCS and NITDA should meet to create an action plan on the issues mentioned, advising that both organisations should strengthen their relationship for better mileage and benefit for the nation.
The NCS boss solicited for strategic partnerships in programmes and projects relating to research and development (R&D), cybersecurity, IT-enabled employment generation, promotion of excellence and professionalism in the industry and IT policy formulation that are of immense benefit to the country.
He commended the NITDA chief for not only sponsoring but also taking time out to attend NCS last conference in Osun State.
He said the goals of NITDA are in line with the core objectives of the NCS. He also praised Daura’s efforts at developing the outsourcing sector of the country, adding that NCS is proud that NITDA, which was borne out of the NCS vision and initiative, has firmly established.
- The Nation

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The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has offered grant to Main One, to support a feasibility study on the extension of a fibre optic network from Lagos to Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The grant will enable Main One to evaluate the technical and financial feasibility of extending 300 miles of undersea fibre optic cabling and supporting infrastructure between two of the country’s most important commercial centres.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of the initiative, USTDA Regional Director for sub-Saharan Africa, Paul Marin, said the project is important as it will help promote the drive for internet pentration in the country.
“This project is an important example of Main One’s commitment to bring high-speed broadband access to Africa. We are proud to be supporting Main One in their efforts to provide the infrastructure for broad-based economic growth in Nigeria,” he said. Marin was represented by the United States of America (USA) Consul General, Jeffrey Hawkins on the occasion.
Chief Executive Officer of Main One, Funke Opeke, said the grant will deepen the provision of broadband services in the Niger Delta region and boost the economy of the region. “We are appreciative to the USTDA for this important grant aimed at furthering the development of broadband services and economic development in the oil-producing Niger Delta region,” she said.
The grant was signed by Hawkins on behalf of USTDA and Opeke for Main One, at the residence of the Hawkins.
- The Nation

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Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar

The Nigeria Police Force  will from September  16, change the process of vehicle registration from the analogue Central Motor Registry to a digital Biometric Central Motor Registration   system.

The BCMR is a technological means of attaching automobile owner’s personal data to his  vehicle for proper identification and protection.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba,  explained at a news conference on Monday in Abuja, that the new system was part of efforts in repositioning the police to effectively tackle crimes and terror.

Under the system, hand-held machine would be used to verify the particulars of vehicles, rather than manual checking.

“To effectively combat terrorism, prevent crimes, apprehend and prosecute offenders, the force will from September  16, change the registration process of vehicles from the old analogue CMR to new digital BCMR system,” Mba said.

He added that “the decision informing the introduction of the BCMR is against the backdrop of contemporary security challenges bordering on terrorism, high incidence of car theft, kidnapping and other crimes.’’

Mba said that the system was designed for forensic analysis where fingerprints could be matched or verified against registered fingerprints collected during the registration.

He stressed that the database would be made available to other sister security agencies.

“We are going to make the database open to our sister agencies. If for example other security organisations want to carry investigation and they needed to get information from our database, we will make the information available to them,’’  the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the FPRO  as saying.

According to him,   the new system is capable of capturing 20 million fingerprints per second, an equivalent of two million people at 10 prints per person.

“As a store of information, it will provide a one-stop forensic base for all manner of investigations which will greatly enhance policing in tracking missing cars and preventing crimes,’’ he said.

He added that the BCMR could grab still images from Close Circuit Television being installed in cities in the country and the footages could be used to apprehend suspected criminals, thereby enhancing personal and national safety and security.

Mba said that registration under the BCMR could be done at designated banks, online and police commands across the nation.

He said that motorists were expected to pay N3,500 to register their vehicles under the system, while owners of tricycles  and motorcycles  would pay N1,500  for the registration.

Responding to questions, the spokesman said that the BCMR was not a duplication of the registration being done by the FRSC but complementing the commission.

According to him, substantial equipment had been procured for the system as personnel have been adequately trained to man it.

On the deadline for the registration, Mba said that no time frame would be given for now.

“We will  not give a deadline for compliance,” he stated , adding that   the police had begun aggressive sensitisation on the need for motorists to migrate from the analogue CMR to the BCMR.

 “First of all, we want to encourage new car owners to register their vehicles under the new BCMR, instead of the CMR. We are also encouraging old car owners to migrate to BCMR not just for national security but for the safety of their vehicles,’’ Mba advised.

When contacted, the FRSC spokesman,  Jonas Agwu, said  he just heard of the police decision  for the first time.

The FRSC had  last year introduced a new number plate, which it said was attached to individual vehicles and their owners.

According to the Corps Marshal, Mr. Osita Chidoka, the introduction of the new number plate was also to enhance a comprehensive database for all vehicles in the country.

By implication, it was meant to guide against car theft and other criminal activities that could be perpetrated using vehicles.

The Corps had given end of September as deadline for the procurement of new vehicle  number plates.
- The Punch

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Stephen Elop, CEO, Nokia Corporation 

Nokia was once the world’s dominant handset manufacture.
Two years after hitching its fate to Microsoft’s Windows Phone software, Nokia collapsed into the arms of the U.S. software giant, agreeing to sell its main handset business for 5.44 billion euros (N11.6 trillion).
Nokia, which will continue as a maker of networking equipment and holder of patents, was once the world’s dominant handset manufacturer but was long since overtaken by Apple and Samsung .
Nokia’s Canadian boss Stephen Elop who ran Microsoft’s business software division before jumping to Nokia in 2010, will now return to the U.S. firm as head of its mobile devices business.
He is being discussed as a possible replacement for Microsoft’s retiring CEO, Steve Ballmer, who is trying to remake the U.S. firm into a gadget and services company like Apple before he departs.
In three years under Mr. Elop, Nokia saw its market share collapse and its share price shrivel as investors bet heavily that his strategy would fail.
In 2011, after writing a memo that said Nokia was falling behind and lacked the in-house technology to catch up, Mr. Elop made the controversial decision to use his former firm Microsoft’s Windows Phone for smartphones, rather than Nokia’s own software or Google’s ubiquitous Android operating system.
Nokia, which had a 40 per cent share of the handset market in 2007, now has a mere 15 per cent market share, with an even smaller three per cent share in smartphones.
The sale of the handset business is not the first dramatic turn in the 148-year history of a company which has sold everything from television sets to rubber boots. But it was felt as a hard blow in its native Finland, even among hard-nosed investors who saw the sale as a final chance to salvage value.
“I have mixed feelings, because I’m a Finn. As a Finnish person, I cannot like this deal. It ends one chapter in this Nokia story,” said Juha Varis, Danske Capital’s senior portfolio manager whose fund owns Nokia shares.
“On the other hand, it was maybe the last opportunity to sell it.”
Mr. Varis was one of many investors critical of Mr. Elop’s decision to bet Nokia’s future in smartphones on Microsoft’s Windows phone software, which was praised by tech reviewers, but never caught on with consumers.
“So this is the outcome: the whole business for five billion euros. That’s peanuts compared to its history,” he said.
Finns lamented the decline of their former champion.
Finland’s minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade, Alexander Stubb, said on his Twitter account, “For a lot of us Finns, including myself, Nokia phones are part of what we grew up with. Many first reactions to the deal will be emotional.”
It is also a pivotal moment for Microsoft, which still has huge revenues from its Windows computer operating system, Office suite of business software and the X-Box game console, but never managed to set up a profitable mobile device business.
Microsoft’s own mobile gadget, the Surface tablet, has sold tepidly since it was launched last year.
“It’s a bold step into the future — a win-win for employees, shareholders and consumers of both companies,”Mr. Ballmer said in a statement.
“Bringing these great teams together will accelerate Microsoft’s share and profits in phones and strengthen the overall opportunities for both Microsoft and our partners across our entire family of devices and services.”
The move leaves the Finnish company with Nokia Solutions and Networks, which competes with the likes of Ericsson and Huawei in telecoms equipment, as well as a navigation business and a broad portfolio of patents.
(Reuters/NAN)

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MasterCard Incorporated, the second-biggest United States payment network, is working with the Federal Government to issue 13 million debits cards in Nigeria, which will also act as identity cards, the President, International Markets, MasterCard, Ms. Ann Cairns, has said.

The company has distributed 10 million South African debit cards that replace cash for social grant recipients, thus boosting its market share across the Africa’s fastest-growing economy.

She spoke in an interview in Pretoria, South Africa, saying the company was also expanding in Angola and Mozambique and working with local partners such as Kenya’s Equity Bank Limited for growth, a Bloomberg report said on Wednesday.

MasterCard is counting on the expansion in Africa and the rising levels of wealth to distribute its financial products to more than 200 million people that have no access to banking services, according to McKinsey & Co Mobile operator, South Africa’s MTN Group Limited.

MTN and banks such as Togo’s Ecobank Transnational Incorporated were also trying to reach the Africa’s poorest by offering easier access to bank accounts and the ability to transfer money without going into a branch, the report said.

“We think financial inclusion can be brought by different instruments,” Cairns said.

MasterCard will be able to realise the “big promise of Africa” if it can grow its payment systems, MasterCard’s President of Middle East and Africa, Michael Miebach, said in the same interview, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Access Bank Plc on Wednesday said its half-year pre-tax profit fell by 14 per cent to N26.1bn.

The figure represents a 14 per cent fall from the same period a year ago, according to the bank.

Gross earnings also declined by five per cent to N104.1bn during the six months to June 30, according to the top-tier bank’s filing at the Nigeria Stock Exchange.
- The Punch

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Mobile money is new in Nigeria.
Almost two years after the Central Bank of Nigeria introduced mobile money services to drive financial inclusion in the country, a new survey by NOI Polls has revealed that about 59 per cent of the populace are unaware that such services exist.

Mobile money enables monetary transactions to be done on mobile phones through text messaging.

Of the 41 per cent citizens that are knowledgeable about mobile money services, only 13 per cent have adopted it, indicating a very low adoption rate, according to the report.

The CBN introduced mobile money services to provide basic financial services and create payment access, especially to the unbanked, and also help to drive financial inclusion in the country.

Operations that can be carried out through mobile money include money deposit, bill payment, funds transfer and withdrawal, and payment for goods and services. It serves as an alternative way of storing money for both the banked and the unbanked.

The NOI Polls report showed that teenagers, young and middle-aged adults were more willing to utilise the services than senior citizens.

The report, which was made available to our correspondent on Wednesday, stated, “About six in 10 (59 per cent) Nigerians are not aware of mobile money services and only 13 per cent of the 41 per cent that are knowledgeable of it have adopted it, showing a very low adoption rate.

“Findings have also revealed that teenagers, young and middle aged adults are more willing to adopt the services than senior citizens.”

The survey, however, noted that all respondents who used mobile money services operated a bank account and that 93 per cent of them operated their mobile money accounts in connection with their bank accounts.

The report further stated, “This shows that mobile money services have not had any impact on the financial inclusion of the unbanked Nigerians so far. The general perception of users of the mobile money service as indicated by the majority is that it is easy to use, it is secure, service providers are easily accessible, it saves cost and it saves time.

“These are the key findings from the Mobile Money Services Snap Poll conducted in the week of August 5, 2013.”

The scheme has suffered slow adoption by Nigerians as the licensed operators of mobile money services have not made a significant headway in the deployment of the services across the states.

Some of the challenges the scheme has faced include low awareness and adoption; lack of finance and basic infrastructure; very few agents; and the exclusion of mobile operators from taking part in the execution of the services.

According to the survey, majority of the users (86 per cent) indicated ‘banks’ as their financial service provider.

This, according to the poll, may be due to the fact that licensed banks have been mostly given the responsibility to establish the services in Nigeria.

Relatively, 12 per cent indicated ‘mobile money agents’ as their provider and one per cent indicated other sources.

The report, however, concluded that mobile money services had great future adoption potential as 71 per cent of the respondents, who had yet to adopt it, were willing to give it a try in the future.

The report stated, “However, what is key to note is the almost non-adoption of this service by the unbanked, this can be detrimental to the success of the cash-less policy as a large percentage of the adult population remains unbanked.

“As Nigeria is currently transitioning towards being a cash-less economy, more awareness has to be created about the mobile money payment option with emphasis placed on including the rural population and unbanked Nigerians in the roll out process.”
- The Punch

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Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook, the world’s largest social networking company, is planning to test a new mobile payment feature.

It will use payment details added by users to their Facebook account to automatically fill in forms when they make purchases on mobile applications, the BBC reports.

Various companies have been looking to tap into mobile payments markets.

However, Facebook said the feature would not involve moving the payment processing away from an app’s current service provider.

“This product is simply to test how we can help our app partners provide a simpler commerce experience,” Facebook’s spokeswoman Tera Randall said in a statement.

She added that the firm has a “great relationship” with PayPal, one of the biggest processors of online payments.

Fantastic move

This feature will help them demonstrate to the advertisers the effectiveness of its platform in driving revenue.”

Facebook has more than a billion members and half log in daily. Its popularity has seen it attract advertisers keen to tap into the potential consumer pool.

According to its latest earnings report, it generated advertising revenue of $1.6bn (£1bn) in the April to June quarter this year.

Analysts said that if the site does eventually launch the payment feature it will help it track how many of its users actually purchased items from partner applications.

“Facebook does not want to remain just a platform for brand promotion and lead generation, but it wants to become the place where e-commerce deals actually happen,” Manoj Menon, Managing Director of consulting firm Frost & Sullivan told the BBC.

“This feature will help them demonstrate to the advertisers the effectiveness of its platform in driving revenue. It is a fantastic move by Facebook,” he added.

However, some analysts were sceptical if users would trust a social networking site with their financial information.

“Consumers want safe, seamless and convenient mobile payments and there are a growing number of competitors that consumers trust more, such as PayPal, Visa (V.me) and others,’ said Denee Carrington, an analyst with Forrester Research.

 - BusinessDay

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President Goodluck Jonathan (third left) plays an electricity-generating football (inset), co-invented by a US-based Nigerian, Jessica Mathews, while Vice-President Namadi Sambo (second left) and others watch, in Abuja... on Friday.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday expressed delight over the creativity of a 25-year-old Nigerian, Jessica Matthews, who invented a power-generating football called SOCCKET ball.

Matthews, who is a co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Unchartedplay, was at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to present the ball, which can generate three hours of light from 30 minutes of play to Jonathan.

She also presented an energy-generating skipping rope to the President.

While congratulating her on her creativity and inventiveness  Jonathan said he was impressed that Matthews, who trained as a psychologist and economist, developed herself in the field of science.

He described her feat as a proof of the quality of human resource present in Nigeria.

The President said the invention was useful as a major tool that could be used to mobilise young Nigerians and encourage them to think more deeply.

Matthews said, “Sometimes power is lost and you say what can you do to solve this situation and I saw my cousins and everyone playing football, playing with everything not even with football alone.

“I say this is amazing and they can rival Messi. If we can take this kinetic energy that is generated here and use it to address the issues that we really have; kinetic energy is used for windmill, why not the ball?”

She said although the items were already on sale in New York, she had not started making them in Nigeria.

She, however, said when they would be made available for sale in Nigeria, the cost would be equivalent to what people pay for a solar inverter.

Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, said the Federal Government was looking at the possibilities of manufacturing the items in Nigeria and see how to make them cheaper for Nigerians.

He said, “Jessica is a Nigerian, she studied at Harvard University, she went to Business School and actually taught herself Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. So, she is an inspiration to every Nigerian especially our children in Nigerian universities. This is a product not only for Nigeria, but a product made in Nigeria by a Nigerian and for the world.

“The second thing is that the product is actually versatile, it is not just about the electricity you see, you can use it to charge your mobile phones, for fans, so there are so many things for which it can be used.”
 Meanwhile, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga has announced that Jessica has been appointed an enterpreneurial ambassador. According to the Minister, Miss Jessica had agreed to be an Enterpreneurship Ambassador in Nigerian Universities.
- The Punch

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The drop is a fall out of the SIM registration exercise with many unregistered lines disconnected.
The number of active telephone lines in the country fell to 120,362,218 in June, a decline of 386,536 from the 120,748,754 recorded in May, according to the latest statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission on Monday.

The number for March and April was put at 117,281,669 and 119,356,665 by the NCC.

The Code Division Multiple Access subscribers were the worst hit following a drop from 2,703,604 active lines in May to 2,567,177 in June.

For the Global System of Mobile telecommunication operators, MTN maintained its lead with 55,238,430 active lines, followed by Globacom, 25,019,862; Airtel, 21,591,904; and Etisalat, 15,303,647.

According to the NCC, the percentage of GSM, CDMA and fixed/fixed wireless lines are 97.55 per cent, 2.13 per cent and 0.32 per cent, respectively.

The teledensity also dropped from 86.25 as of May 2013 to 85.25 in the period under review. Teledensity is the percentage of connected lines in relation to the population at a given period of time, and its growth is proportionate to the growth in the subscriber base.

Based on an Average Revenue per User of $7 (N1,090.25), the active telecoms subscribers in the country must have spent about N379.8bn on voice calls and Short Message Services in the first quarter of the year.

The 117,281,669 active subscribers as of March were said to have boosted the coffers of the telecoms service providers by over N127.8bn; while for February and January, when the subscriber base was 116,601,637 and 114,492,384, respectively, the telecoms firms made estimated N127.1bn and N124.8bn for the periods.

The ARPU is a financial performance benchmark in the telecoms industry that measures the average monthly or yearly revenue generated by the GSM, CDMA and fixed telephone operators in a particular country.

Nigeria’s average teledensity for the first quarter of the year was 82.9 per cent from the subscriber data provided by the NCC.

The industry ended 2012 with a combined subscriber base of 113.1 million, up from 95.8 million active subscriptions in January of the same year.

According to the NCC data, only the GSM the operators contributed to the addition in subscriber base, as the CDMA and fixed line operators recorded declines in the first quarter.
- The Punch

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A Honda Humanoid Robot

The Project: A Prototype of the Humanoid Biomimetics Project.

THE PROJECT

A 400l student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) has built an amazing humanoid Robot using locally-sourced materials. The student, Ukah Okechukwu, an Electrical/Electronics Student is said to be naturally talented and started building electronic devices from his primary school. Here is the Robot which replicated an existing industrial robot by the right. The Economist (TE) thinks such efforts should be encouraged in our Ivory Towers for maximum productivity. Only productivity drives economic growth and development in real terms. Kudos to Mr. Okechukwu.

The Student wrote this on the project:

HUMANOID ROBOT: AN APPLICATION OF BIOMIMETICS

INTRODUCTION

The ingenuity of man has enabled him to harness the potentials of nature to an incredible degree. This resulted in him bringing the functional systems of his environment under his control. He accomplishes this in the different fields of Engineering where he scientifically analyses different natural phenomena and intuitively applies the principles in solving his day to day problems.

THE URGE

Following the same line of thought, I felt the urge to come up with this my masterpiece. However, as an undergraduate, my aim is not to present a professionally designed machine but to share with friends the joy of practical engineering. My childhood dream of innovating technology will hopefully prove realistic as the Almighty God (the source of absolute wisdom) gradually removes the scales from my eyes.

FEATURES OF THE PROJECT

Light detecting systems, alarm system, mobility system, touch sensors and automatic direction finding mechanisms.

WORKING PRINCIPLES

The light detecting system consists of an arrangement of lenses, optic sensors and sensing circuit to replicate the human vision system. The switching mechanism has an array of interconnected relays which I classified as the master and slaves (copying the human endocrine system). The master relay receives signal directly from the sensing circuit, it then activates the appropriate slave relay for an action to be taken. Subsequently, the slave relay holds the signal and sends a command signal to the mechanism that will carry out the action. When the action has been taken, the mechanism sends a feedback signal to the slave relay, and then the relay withdraws the signal and waits for another cycle of operation. For instance, when it moves about, it can detect an obstacle within 150cm away and steer clear from it. This happens as follows:

Within this range, the image of the object is formed (focused) on the optic sensors (retina). This brings about change in light intensity on the solar cells hence an electrical signal is generated. The sensing circuit detects this signal and activates the master relay. In turn, the relay sends a triggering signal to the slave relay responsible for steering operation. The slave relay in turn activates the motor that drives the steering mechanism. By virtue of the relay’s ability to retain the signal (memory), the motor continuously steers the wheel until it dodges the obstacle; then it sends a feedback signal to the relay. Consequently, the relay withdraws the signal and normal motion is restored. The other systems employ the same principle.

Meanwhile, ideas are being incubated and plans underway to upgrade the capabilities by incorporating more circuits (transceivers) and mechanisms for more smartness and usefulness.

INDUSTRY APPLICATION

When fully developed and upgraded and equipped with modern electronic devices, this machine can prove useful in manufacturing industries for routine inspection task and more especially in entertainment industries where it can be used to relay human speeches and thereby simulate human-machine direct interaction.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE YOUR ABILITIES

Technology, what can we do without it; Help develop it….

                                                                                             Okechukwu U. Joseph

                                                                                             E-mail: ukah_joseph@yahoo.com                                                                                                                                                                  

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