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2019: Firm develops app to monitor elections

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By Nmwerichukwu Igweamaka

Kaduna based computer firm, Hephzibah Integrated Technologies Ltd, has developed an application that will help in monitoring and tracking order of activities during and voting process during the 2019 general elections.

Managing Director/CEO of Hephzibah Integrated Technologies Ltd, Engineer Clement O. Obomighe disclosed this when unveiling the application at a press briefing in Kaduna.

He said the application was developed to ensure that electioneering procedures as outlined by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is been observed diligently at every polling unit across the country.

According to him, “Our application cannot enforce the law, but can expose breach of the law,” said Obomighe.

He explained, that the application will make statistics on the conduct of elections very easy and instant, as it works with any android or IOS phone.

Obomighe added, that his company has been seeking active ways to develop APPs to support government policies, part of which includes the conduct of free and credible elections.

According to him, “the application was developed from what somebody muted to us, by an observer group which approached us. But, for some reasons they chickened out and we went through sponsoring it from the scratch.

“We noticed that in the past, capturing activities during cities was haphazard. This app will make it well managed, well captured according to INEC order.

“We had developed it according to 2015 order of activities. When the new INEC chairman came and changed it, we changed it again. We then went back to the drawing board to make it flexible.

“Nobody knows if officials at any polling unity had omitted any activity. There is a process, if missed it should be captured by the election monitors, polling unit by polling unit.

“Even after the polling unit, at the collation centre there are procedures which must be followed. When procedures are not followed, it should be captured by the monitors. Not following procedures, gives room for rigging.

“We decided to present the APP to the public, Nigerians so they can see it. That’s why we are here today. We are not oblivious of the fact that we may be behind time ahead of the general elections, but are optimistic that it will help.

On why INEC has not adopted the application, he said: “the electoral commission were approached but they couldn’t adopt it, because they don’t know if we are sponsored by a political party or candidate. But, on the contrary, our application is not to spite INEC; we developed it to ensure credibility of the election process.

“We will be monitoring the data, If we notice any increase, we will increase database size, we have signed agreement with cloud storage which increases, we have paid upfront for that.

Speaking on how the application would work, Obomighe said, they have set up a system that helps to generate report format.

“Reports produced by observers or party agents can be substantiated with evidence which can serve as forensic evidence in courts,” he said adding that they decided to create definite report format.

“Different accurate statistical facts can be gotten from a simple query of data base. Party agents or observers presence and efforts can be monitored. The app is geo locationally locked and can’t be used in another polling unit.

“The app has two interfaces; mobile interface and administrative interface,” he informed.

Sourced: The Nation

GrassRoots.ng is on a critical mission; to objectively and honestly represent the voice of ‘grassrooters’ in International, Federal, State and Local Government fora; heralding the achievements of political and other leaders and investors alike, without discrimination. This daily, digital news publication platform serves as the leading source of up-to-date information on how people and events reflect on the global community. The pragmatic articles reflect on the life of the community people, covering news/current affairs, business, technology, culture and fashion, entertainment, sports, State, National and International issues that directly impact the locals.

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The Economics of Product Decisions: Applying Behavioural Economics and Game Theory in PM

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Amarachi Nnochiri
Amarachi Nnochiri

Product managers often need to make a clear-cut decision: what should we build next? But the decisions which hold real importance go beyond adding features.

It’s about getting what makes people tick.

It goes way beyond what you would expect, getting into how people behave and using game theory.

These areas give insight into how users decide and how a product’s design can improve growth and keep people interested.

This is what Amarachi Nnochiri excels at. She is a senior product manager that knows how to use economics and psychology in her job.

She goes beyond simply managing product tasks; she develops whole product systems based on how users think, feel, and use a service. Her background shows how understanding human psychology and behaviour can give you a significant advantage in the competition.

One idea Amarachi uses is  “loss aversion.” In this scenario, people feel worse about losing something than they feel good about gaining something of equal value.

She uses this when designing her products, mostly when it comes to pricing and getting people to try new strategies. For example, instead of giving a free trial, she might use a freemium setup where users get some stuff for free but could lose it if they don’t buy an upgrade. This pushes them to pay.

She might also use progress bars or streak counters, since losing progress gets people to keep using the product.

Amarachi also uses ideas from “game theory” to get how users act and change their behavior. She realizes that users are doing more than operating a product, but are playing a game with other users or with the product itself. She designs things that use ideas like “Nash equilibrium,” where nobody can do better by changing what they’re doing. For a social product, this could mean creating a system where doing something good for yourself (like inviting friends) also helps everyone else. This makes the whole thing stable and positive.

Her know-how in game theory also applies to making strong “network effects.” This means making stuff that gets better as more people use it.

A good example is a social network where each new user makes the product more helpful for everyone else. Amarachi endeavours to make things go viral on purpose, not just by luck.

She might use “commitment devices,” which are things that make a user stick with a behaviour by making them depend on it socially or functionally. For example, inviting team members to a tool makes the user stick with the platform and makes the product’s network stronger.

This way of thinking is better than just following the usual steps. By using these economic and psychological tricks, Amarachi develops competitive advantages which are difficult to replicate.

She knows that a company’s best thing is not just a simple interface, but a product that’s designed to sync with how people behave.

Her product choices aren’t just about the needs of users, but equally focus on motivating them to like the product, use it, and stick with it.

In her work, choosing a subscription price isn’t just a business thing; it’s about behaviour. Designing a social feed isn’t just about the content; it’s about balancing what people want and watching how they interact. Amarachi knows extensively about the economics of product decisions. This makes her products innovative and appealing to human behaviour, which leads to more use, keeps people around, and helps the product grow. She’s a leader in product management, where identifying customer desires is backed by understanding human motivation.

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Glo reduces international call rates 

By Sandra Ani

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Glo and Globacom


Technology Company, Globacom, has announced significant reductions in its International Direct Dialing (IDD) rates, making international calls more affordable for its existing and new customers across Nigeria.

Effective August 10, the new rates began applying to over 15 popular international destinations, including United States which will has moved to ₦30 per minute, down from ₦35, United Kingdom is now N350 from ₦400, while India also moved down to ₦40 from N45.

The rates for China, Saudi Arabia and Cameroon however recorded major reduction moving to N75, N300 and ₦700 respectively.


The reduction was also extended to African countries including Benin Republic which goes for ₦650 per minute, Niger Republic ₦750, Ghana ₦500, and Togo ₦650. United Arab Emirates also moved from ₦450 to ₦325, Germany to ₦550, Côte d’Ivoire ₦700, Libya ₦700, while calls to Malawi is now N1,100 from ₦1,200.

Glo aims to provide more value for its customers through these revised rates, encouraging them to make Glo their preferred network for international calls. New IDD bundles will also be introduced, offering frequent international callers even more attractive deals.

Globacom, which remained optimistic that frequent international callers will benefit immensely from the reductions in IDD bundles, enjoined customers to take advantage of the new rates to stay connected with friends and business associates across the globe.

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Oil subsidy removal freed up resources for infrastructure – Enugu Governor 

By Orji Israel, South East Correspondent

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Oil benchmark

The Executive Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, has attributed the financing of numerous infrastructure projects embarked by the state government to the oil subsidy removal policy of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

He made this declaration at the Govermment House, Enugu, during a courtesy visit by a delegation of federal government led by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, as part of activities lined up for the 2-day Citizens’ Engagement Series in the South East geo-political zone.

“For us in Enugu, we are able to accomplish all we promised our people during the campaign, thanks to the bold decision taken by President Bola Tinubu, which has freed up resources needed to execute humongous capital projects,” said Governor, while listing ongoing projects in the state, which include the construction of 7,000 classrooms, 3,300 hospital beds and 2,000-hectare of 260 farm estates across the 260 wards of the state.

Governor Mbah also pledged more support for the policies of the federal government, saying they are in the best interest of the people of the state.

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