ICT Weekly Arena Promises Strong Advocacy for Indigenous Technology

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Weekly Arena, a 30-minute radio programme, is set to make its debut on adio- ne 103.5FM and Metro 97.7 FM. Breaking on June 1, 2015, ICT Weekly Arena is a weekly radio programme designed to run a strong advocacy for Nigerian technology, revealing the invaluable commitment and work of numerous ICT professionals, and assessing the opportunities and challenges of the ICT industry. The programme will also monitor adherence by all stakeholders to policies, rules and regulations, and provide a platform for industry institutions like the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Information Technology Industry Association of Nigeria (ITAN), Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), among others. It will not be a run-off-the-mill radio/television/ press narrative, the organisers said. ICT Weekly Arena, a partnership between Biconfluence Limited and Nigeria Communications Week, will present in a radio magazine format segments that tell the ICT News, discussions and interviews, product demonstrations, trendy reviews, hands-on for SM ’s, and a deterrent for cybercrime. There is something in each package for everyone, said the conceptualizer and producer of the programme, Echika Ezuka, a veteran ICT communicator and broadcaster. He said the content of the programme is made breezy and lively through the anchor of two professional presenters who talk each segment in a manner that permanently arrests the listener. The appeal of the programme is greatly enhanced through the participation of Mallam Silas, a professional comedian who anchors the cybercrime segment. ICT Weekly Arena, Mr. Ezuka said, would add value to the professionalism and diversity of the ICT media in Nigeria. “There are sponsorship windows for stakeholders and advertisers to latch unto and expectedly, entrepreneur, Leo Stan Ekeh and the Zinox Group, have made substantial sponsorship commitments. Regulatory bodies like the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) may take possession of the news segment to consolidate their pre-eminence in the ICT. Banks could gainfully sponsor the SME segment for their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and marketing, while manufacturers of hardware and software would gain mileage with the innovations, product of the week. The online businesses definitely would like the Cybercrime segment. The classifications are not cast in stone,” Ezuka said. He explained that Metro 97.7 and adio- ne 103.5, both M channels from the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) network, have been selected to transmit the ICT Weekly Arena, once a week, because of their reach and quality listenership supported by authoritative media researches. Clear signals from both stations are received in Lagos, West, South East, South-South, orth Central and some states in the far North. Metro M and adio- ne M have access to the nationalist cultural heritage of the FRCN making them effective media to talk and market technology to Nigerians.