The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Whither Saraki, Dogara, Ekweremadu?

    Whither Saraki, Dogara, Ekweremadu?

    Where are Bukola Saraki, Senate President (2015-2019), Yakubu Dogara (Speaker, House of Representatives, 2015-2019) and Ike Ekweremadu (Deputy Senate President, 2007-2019?)

    Their tri-travails should teach minority elements, ogling and plotting parliamentary gravy not theirs, the physical and spiritual comeuppance of political gaming: short-term gain, long-term pain.

    Still, among the trio, the personal tragedies of Ike Ekweremadu must be treated with utter sensitivity and empathy.

    For the love of ailing daughter, he just got a nine year-and-eight-month sentence in a British jail.  His wife got four years and six months.  Dr. Obinna Obeta, the midwifing medic in a kidney-transfer-turned-awry saga, got 10 years; and his licence, to practice medicine, suspended.

    All these in a bid to save darling daughter, Sonia, and fix her failing kidneys.  Sonia herself, docked too, escaped by the whiskers — or it would have been a complete jail sweep: father, mother and daughter!  

    Still, how can she escape eternal guilt, gnawing at her young soul: that she and her life-threatening ailment caused her family so much catastrophe, not forgetting  the good doctor caught in the crossfire?

    How also would the shame of parental conviction, coupled with own guilt, help her to battle the ailment she still lugs?  

    Besides, how can she secure a healthy kidney from a legit donor — with all the clouds shrouding her family; and not a few fleeing from them and theirs, as far away as the proverbial North Pole?

    If after all of these you still want to gloat, just say a thunderous “amen” to this prayer: may your loving parental instinct never be tested!

    Nevertheless, all these are without prejudice to whatever crime the couple and medic had committed, under the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 — the first set of convicts under that law — to have been found guilty, after an open and transparent jury trial.

    Even with all the tragedy, those that insist on railing at Ike Ekweremadu could have a legitimate point: had Ekweremadu and co — the ex-DSP had been in the Senate in the past 20 years (2003-2023) — done the needful: might his daughter have procured a safe and legitimate local kidney transfer in Nigerian public hospitals?

    Were that so, and the Ekweremadus’ trial were to happen here, the judge (we seldom have jury criminal trials here) would have seen through the cock of a 21-year-old David Nwamini “crated”, in a “slave” craft, to London for his kidney to be “harvested”.

    Only a British jury, bristling with own cultural condescension, would believe such bull!  

    At best, it was a mutual sweetheart deal gone awry — without prejudice to whatever the Ekweremadu proxies must have done to make hurt Nwamini spill the beans.  

    That Nwamini is now squealing, in classic opportunism, for some low-grade asylum to continue living in the UK, pleading fears for his life (which may well be) is inclination enough he wasn’t exactly averse to “japa” (Yoruba street lingo for migrate); and maybe grabbed the transplant deal as stepping stone.

    If that weren’t convincing enough, the earliest fib from the case, that Nwamini was a “14-year-old”, ought to have raised a clatter of alarms on deliberate bad faith.  Yet, the British media (sacred facts be damned!) milked and pushed that lie — because it fitted into preconceived notions? 

    Still, the Ekweremadus’ fate is sealed.  Except an appeal court reverses the verdict or shortens the sentence, theirs is prolonged jail term in the immediate future.

    But the UK conviction isn’t why Ike Ekweremadu is cited in this piece.  

    He is cited for receiving parliamentary “stolen goods”, in crass attempt to remain DSP, an office he knew morally, legally and legitimately belonged to APC: the new majority party in parliament; an office Ekweremadu’s PDP had occupied for 16 years, as the majority party, from 1999 to 2015. 

    That’s the crux of this piece, especially as some history vacuums, just elected into the 10th National Assembly, appear eager to replay the 2015 drama of Saraki, Dogara and Ekweremadu, the trio that now lug prolonged pain for that fleeting gain.

    Ironically, Saraki’s bid for Senate President was not entirely illegitimate, given President-elect Bola Tinubu’s Emilokan account at Abeokuta, in the run-up to the explosive APC presidential primaries.

    Saraki, from that Abeokuta account, had scoffed at a putative Buhari-Tinubu ticket for 2015, in those crucial moments of 2014, when the APC was still being cooked.

    Saraki didn’t care a hoot about any faith balancing.  But as a new-PDP (nPDP) APC legacy joiner, he knew a Buhari-Tinubu ticket would squelch another Muslim’s dream of Senate President.  That virtually forced Tinubu to nominate Yemi Osinbajo, now outgoing Vice President.

    But Saraki’s legitimate hankering after political spoils for his own nPDP bloc (after Buhari’s CPC and Tinubu’s ACN had grossed the first two prime offices) only birthed nothing but premeditated perfidy, which Saraki viciously pressed into service.

    His two principal conspirators were Dogara (a fellow nPDP defector to APC); and Ekweremadu: a PDP loyalist that nevertheless bristled with rank opportunism — a terrible character flaw, indeed — to continue as DSP, though he knew by parliamentary logic and convention, he ought to yield that office to the new majority party.

    All three (whose unholy alliance subverted critical infrastructure upgrades: the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, for one, during Buhari’s first term) have been in the doldrums ever since.  Good riddance!

    In 2019, Saraki had fled back to PDP, only to experience a vicious blow-out — no thanks to the “Otoge” (Yoruba for “Enough!”) Kwara voter revolution.

    Otoge not only clinically guillotined Otunya (“Let’s do it again”) — Saraki’s counter mew to Otoge’s roar of 2019 — his pathetic “O su wa” (“We’re tired”) 2023 whoop against the Kwara APC order fell pathetically flat, resulting in another vote thrashing.

    Saraki has thus lost the Kwara Republic of Democratic Feudalism that Baba Oloye, his illustrious father, Dr. Olusola Saraki, bequeathed him.  He is now a full-blown politically displaced person (PDP — how ironic!).  But again, no tears.

    If Saraki has somewhat stoically resigned to his PDP fate, Dogara is busy playing the chameleon and losing value by the second.  Between 2019 and now, he has been swinging — and wildly too — from PDP to APC and vice versa that only he could swear where exactly he now belongs. 

    Dogara neighed against Tinubu’s “Muslim-Muslim” ticket and dived into PDP.  But while there, he in southern Kaduna throatily campaigned for Atiku Abubakar — a Christian?  

    Indeed, Dogara’s “Christian” advocacy was powered more by not making the Tinubu ticket (on faith balancing) than any core principle though, to be fair, northern Christians do face an uphill in socio-political sweepstakes, a flaw that should be corrected.

    The fate of the trio — Saraki, Dogara and Ekweremadu — teaches a profound lesson: democracy is no licence for rascality.  Let those who want to repeat 2015 learn this grim lesson and know peace.

  • Police Inspector Atobiloye’s death

    Police Inspector Atobiloye’s death

    Sir: The cry for justice by Mrs Oluwabukola Atobiloye over her husband, Inspector Taiye Atobiloye of the Oke-Onigbin Divisional Headquarters, Kwara State, who died in police custody, while on special assignment at Zone 8 Headquarters, Lokoja, which covers Kogi and Kwara states, deserves thorough investigation.

    There are two sides to this tale. Mrs Atobiloye claimed her husband was killed by his colleagues, after he was extorted by senior officers, while trying to alter his posting for a special assignment, a posting that had originally been rejected by the officer who was initially assigned to it.

    The police claimed the late inspector was picked up drunk and detained for dereliction of duty. While in custody, he became sick and was taken to the hospital, where he died.

    It is commendable that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered an investigation into the matter. To ensure impartiality, it is advisable that the investigation be carried out by police officers from other zonal commands. Using officers from Zone 8 Command to investigate this matter would definitely lead to conflict of interest and allegations of bias. 

    The neglect of a sick person in custody is callous and inhuman. It beggars belief, especially when the deceased allegedly presented medical records to prove why he was unfit for the assignment and wanted a redeployment. That he was held incommunicado without access to his family members or a doctor even after he had started showing signs of ill-health, is the height of man’s inhumanity to man.

    This issue has, yet again, brought to the fore the need for reforms in the Nigerian Police. There is a need to investigate the causes of bribery for posting, promotion, and other forms of preference. And how to put a stop to this ugly trend.

    Also, the welfare of officers needs to be taken care of when they are posted on special assignment or essential duty. This should include adequate accommodation and prompt payment of allowances.

    Refurbishment of cells where detainees are held has become imperative to prevent avoidable deaths. If the police can be this cruel to one of their own, what they would do to the common man is better imagined than experienced.

    •Peter Ovie Akus,

    akuspeter@gmail.com

  • Governor Sanwo-Olu, save our souls at Isawo, Ikorodu

    Governor Sanwo-Olu, save our souls at Isawo, Ikorodu

    Sir: We are writing to remind the governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu,  to urgently come to our aid at Isawo, Igboolomu and other communities in Ikorodu by completing the first phase of Isawo Road Project. 

    The major problem of this road is the perennial overflow of Oke Afa river during the rainy season.

    We made this call about this time last year by which time we had thought that the state government was going to at least complete the bridge over the river. But this was not done.

    With the advent of the rains, which the Meteorological Agency has warned would be much, we are appealing to Governor Sanwo-Olu to kindly mobilise the contractor, HITECH, back to work and save the people of the various communities from this harrowing and very dangerous experience of wading through the flood that at times reaches the thighs. We cannot afford to wait until human lives are lost.

    It is important to point out that the good citizens of the communities delivered and overwhelmingly voted for the All Progressives Congress party which culminated in the mandate for the second term of Mr Governor.

    We believe that the listening and considerate governor will reciprocate this gesture by getting the contractor to, at least, as a matter of urgency, complete the bridge over Oke Afa river to ameliorate the suffering of the people and avert unwholesome incident that may arise should the current situation persist.

    We are earnestly waiting for the intervention of the governor.

    •Michael Adeyemi,

    mikade83@yahoo.com

  • Good  breakthrough

    Good  breakthrough

    • A UK-based Nigerian just found a putative cure for diabetes.  That should spur our local scientists to wage scientific war against other diseases

    It’s exciting news, especially for patients of Type 2 diabetes — far more common than Type 1: a putative cure is afoot; and one of the medical researchers behind this breakthrough is a Nigerian, Dr. Opeolu Ojo.
    The U.K. Express and Star News just broke the story. Dr. Ojo, head of a medical research team at the University of Wolverhampton, England, may have discovered a drug.  That drug uses protein extracts from the East Asian bullfrog (Hoplobatrachus rugulosus) to treat diabetics.
    The protein of that frog species is very effective at boosting insulin; and tamping down glucose: the cumulative of excess sugar level in the blood, which drives Type 2 diabetes.  Low insulin leads to dangerously high sugar level.
    Dr. Ojo, a biochemistry teacher and researcher, presented his team’s findings at the Diabetes United Kingdom Professional Conference.
    “Our research has uncovered great potentials of peptides from amphibian skin secretions, particularly their potential clinical use as novel agents for treating Type 2 diabetes,” he told the conference.  ”By combining these peptides with some of the molecules that our body produces naturally, our desire is to create a safe and powerful alternative to current anti-diabetic medications which have many challenges, including their side effects and the ability to restore the body’s ability to control blood glucose.”
    It’s early days yet but with this promising treatment regime, the era of Type 2 diabetes patients jabbing selves with insulin may well end.  It could be replaced with oral pills, more body system-friendly; and far less organically disruptive.
    True, there’s also Type 1 diabetes.  In that, the body’s immune system attacks and destroys cells in the pancreas, the primary organ that secretes insulin.  Type 1 also affects younger people, from 35 years and below, as against Type 2, a function of aging and carbohydrate-dominated diets, very common in Nigeria.  
    Then, a sedentary work culture and lack of adequate exercise.  The two make it difficult to burn off excess blood sugar, especially as people go from vigorous childhood, adolescence and youth, to mid-age and old age.  
    That consigns many people to Type 2 diabetes, with symptoms: increased hunger, weight loss, frequent urination, erectile dysfunction, yeast infection, blurry vision, extreme fatigue, sores that don’t heal, decreased sex drive and urinary tract infection.
    Perhaps because of poverty, or more pin-point, dietary illiteracy or just carelessness, excessive consumption of carbohydrates — the sad reality in our country — accounts for Nigerians being among the most diabetes-prone in the world.  The dominant diabetes strain here is Type 2.
    This sad reality shows the putative impact of Dr. Ojo and co’s discovery, if the drug is mainstreamed and is available in the Nigerian market.  It could well be a game changer in public health and wellness, as far as diabetes is concerned.
    Yet, the uneasy question: could he and his team have achieved that breakthrough, if he was based here?  That again underscores the primacy of institutional support for research and development (R & D) in the development matrix of any country.
    Research is basic, not incidental.  So, all governments — federal, state and local government — should prime their resource allocation towards that reality.  Indeed, Dr. Ojo’s findings could have opened a window for adequate follow-up by our local scientists, to further domesticate this promising diabetes drug.  
    Protein secretions from the East Asian bullfrog is a critical mix in the new drug.  Could our medical researchers probe into the possibilities of our local frogs having similar medicinal qualities?  But even if the scientists were primed and ready to go, all would be a mere pipe dream, if ready and generous research funding wasn’t available. 
    Still on research funding: the government can — and should — do far more.  But even at its optimum, the government can’t do everything.  So, Nigeria must develop a vibrant culture of support foundations for medical, scientific and sundry research, with special focus on diseases that should be curable, if our scientists are hung-ho enough in their quest.
    It’s not clear if Dr. Ojo’s UK feat can qualify as “scientific nationalism”, for his focus on Type 2 diabetes.  What is clear is that more research attention is needed on the many local diseases.  Science can certainly save the millions of patients.  But  research should not be limited to western conventional medicine alone.  Herbal-driven trado-medicines too should be encouraged.
    That way, Nigerian scientists would be primed to help conquer the Nigerian environment, in the area of public health and general wellness.  It’s depressing that the latest R21 Malaria Vaccine, with 75 per cent efficacy rate, is a research product of Oxford University, UK, where malaria is not such a terrible challenge.  Nigerian scientists must challenge themselves to do more, supported by requisite funding.

  • Salary padding

    Salary padding

    • It’s high time government strengthened IPPIS and other anti-fraud mechanisms in the system

    Ghost workers we used to know. Now, it’s salary padding. This is an  improvement in reverse on the ghost workers syndrome. While ghost workers is all about non-existent workers being paid salaries, salary padding is about paying some individuals over and above their legitimate salaries. The two are perpetrated by civil servants. But, irrespective of their nomenclatures, the implication of both, like other fraudulent activities against the state or the people largely is that governments cannot deliver on democracy dividend promised the people.

    This is why we should be concerned about the reported incident of salary padding in some ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). Those suspected of involvement in the salary padding have faced the first line of punishment for their alleged roles in the incidents: they have been suspended. They are from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), and an undisclosed institute.

    According to reports, the people suspended allegedly connived with some officials in the OAGF to pad their salaries by manipulating the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS). For example, an assistant director (AD) who is a desk officer in charge of staff salaries was alleged to have connived with others to hike the salary of a Level 7 officer from about N60,000 to N400,000, which is the package for directors. A whistle-blower said “What happened was, another colleague on same salary scale saw the pay slip of a female colleague with a  net pay of over N400,000. Surprised, he tried to get details of the excess payment but was rebuffed.” This made the aggrieved member of the staff to raise the alarm.

    The OAGF has reportedly acknowledged receipt of allegations of salary padding even though it added that, for now, these were in the realm of speculation or allegations. It noted that “there is no evidence of “salary padding” before the OAGF at this time; however, the office is aware of reported breach of the IPPIS third party payment protocol at an Institute outside Abuja”.

    The RMAFC chairman, Mohammed Bello Shehu, on his part reportedly confirmed that the commission has identified some culprits and placed them on suspension. While the OAGF said that the matter has been reported to the appropriate authorities for investigation and possible prosecution, the RMAFC boss promised to do likewise once the internal investigations are concluded.

    IPPIS is a department within the OAGF. It was introduced in 2007 to manage federal staff records, ensure timely and accurate payment of salaries and wages to them, deduct taxes and other third party dues, remit payroll deductions to third parties, etc. Those who conceived of the idea must have thought they had found an appropriate answer to the kind of fraud now being allegedly perpetrated, despite  their innovation.

    But trust the ubiquitous ‘Nigerian factor’ that has always galvanised some of our civil servants to take advantage of the loopholes in any arrangement designed to curb their propensity to commit fraud; they are ever ready to exploit such loopholes.

    It is unfortunate that some people that are employed and paid from public coffers would not even pity the country that is in dire need of cash and is already neck deep in debts. The Federal Government has lost billions to ghost workers. Indeed, in 2018 alone, about 50,000 ghost workers were removed from its payroll, according to the secretary/director of the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), Dr Mohammed Dikwa.

    The OAGF and RMAFC, as well as the unidentified institute that have been fingered in the instant cases should be thoroughly investigated with a view to ascertaining how widespread the frauds are and for how long they have been going on in those places, etc. As a matter of fact, it won’t be a bad idea to extend the investigation beyond the MDAs under consideration.

    While we agree that no system is fool-proof, it is important that anti-corruption mechanisms like IPPIS must be reviewed and strengthened periodically to ensure that the smart Alecs in the system do not penetrate them with ease, and even where they do, it won’t take time for them to be detected and promptly arrested.

    If there is a need to set up special courts to handle cases of corruption, the government should not hesitate to do so. At the rate the country is  hemorrhaging from all fronts, it is only a matter of time for corruption to kill it. As a matter of fact, that it has not bled to death through corruption is surprising.

  • Fund to boost African, Diasporan wealth

    Fund to boost African, Diasporan wealth

    Opportunik, a private wealth fund giving Africans and Diasporans access to global investments, is poised  to  launch its licensed fund.

    Administered by Accuvise Administrators Limited, a registered fund administrator based in Mauritius, Opportunik Global Fund (OGF) will present a diverse mix of asset classes enabling investors to create wealth with minimal currency or political risk.

    OGF was created to address African investors’ pain points, including high barriers to global deals, insufficient yield on smaller ticket sizes, ever-changing foreign exchange rates, and high inflation and taxation. Participants can be located anywhere, but must invest in the most traded currencies, such as the US Dollar.

     Chief Executive,  Opportunik Global Fund, Kola Oyeneyin, said: “We created Opportunik Global Fund to tackle the challenges many African investors face when looking for global investments.

    As an African-born fund, we recognise that the continent is full of wealth opportunities; however, there is a need to empower rising middle-class Africans with a platform to enable them to access new markets beyond the continent’s borders.

    “At OGF, we help Africans create wealth and achieve financial independence. We are doing so by connecting investors to a global fund at a low entry barrier and with a healthy return. As we onboard retail and institutional investors before our official launch in May, we look forward to bridging the current wealth inequality gap.”

    Driven by an in-house team of fund managers located across Africa (South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Zambia), OGF will work alongside Accuvise Administrators. With over $216m in Assets Under Administration, Accuvise has a proven track record of structuring and administrating investment funds.

    Statistically, the wealth management market in Africa is estimated to grow by 60% in the next decade, driven by strong asset under management (AuM) growth in most major markets. This presents a good opportunity for middle-class Africans if given access to the same wealth management options made available to high-net-worth individuals.

    Opportunik believes nothing should hold back the hardworking from achieving their financial dreams; this is why they have created Opportunik Global Fund (OGF) – a focused private wealth fund designed by Africans for Africans. With a starting capital of just $5,000, OGF provides USD investments to middle-class and mass-affluent Africans and Diasporans.

    Licensed by the Cayman Islands, Opportunik carefully selects assets and maintains a dedicated team to deliver healthy returns. The fund is administered by Accuvise, a registered fund administrator with over $216 million in assets, ensuring OGF’s investors face minimal currency or political risks.

  • Students embrace entrepreneurship

    Students embrace entrepreneurship

    Entrepreneurship is flourishing among students of tertiary institutions. Many of them have established ventures that are providing income for them. LYDIA OLUWAGBOTEMI reports.

    Many students have established profitable entrepreneurial ventures on campus which earn income for them.

    One of them is God’s Own Catering and Services, which Chariot Ojewole started on campus.

    Chariot is a graduate of Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, Ogun State. She ran a business on campus.

    On how she got into the business, she said: “One day I thought about what could earn me something on campus. I was trained in catering. So, l started making snacks.” 

    The business blossomed. It paid some of her bills. She said: “It helped me. I supported my parents in buying textbooks/handouts, and even feeding. I didn’t bother to call them for food stuff.”

    She urged other students to hustle to supplement what they got from their parents. “It can help the students fend for themselves.  They would not depend on an aunty or uncle. No guy will harass you anyhow. Also, that will help them to depend on themselves.”

    Miss Grace Oluwagbotemi is another student entrepreneur whose catering business is vibrant on campus.

    A Mass Communications undergraduate, she works hard daily to come up with creative solutions. She is looking for a fresh perspective on how to do things better.

    She said the business assisted her in many ways. Her words: “It pays a lot, and it also builds a person up when it comes to self esteem.”

    Not only did she combine her education with research and business, but offering good food which makes her clients happy.

  • Teaching youths agribusiness

    Teaching youths agribusiness

    To reduce the unemployment rate, the government has embarked on a campaign to get more youths to embrace agribusiness as a career.
    DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    In those days, for youths (and even many adults), a career in farming was out of their consideration. But with the unemployment rate still rising, the government has found a way out: agro-business.

    The government believes that youths trained in modern ways of farming could make a living in the sector.

    The founder, Corporate Farmers International, Akin Alabi, affirmed that the lives of many youths in Lagos had changed after the intensive training they received in agriculture and its value chain. According to him, some of the trained youth have established profitable businesses in fishery, poultry and rice value chain.

    Alabi said young people in Lagos found that farming is profitable.

    The Lagos Commissioner of Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, agreed. She, however, noted that most farmers and secondary schools pupils lacked the knowledge and access to modern farming technologies.

    To achieve this, the state government exposed the pupils to new smart technologies.

    For Ms Olusanya, technology would help many youths to see agribusiness as the path to success.

    In line with this, the Lagos Ministry of Agriculture handed over three of its completed six Smart Aquaponics and Poultry System (SAP-Sys) units, and hardware components to some schools in Lagos.

    The equipment were allocated under the Lagos Agricultural Scholars’ Programme (LASP), the Ministry’s school empowerment project. The schools included Lagos City Senior College, Sabo, Yaba; Omole Senior Grammar School, Omole Phase One, Ojodu and Igbobi College, Yaba.

    The SAP-Sys units, which are solar-powered integrated farm technologies for aquaculture, hydroponics and poultry, were installed in four public secondary schools, one private secondary school and one correctional centre.

    Ms. Olusanya said the government want schools to scale up farming, using new seed varieties, training and agriculture equipment, to increase fish, poultry and vegetable production and sales in the market.

    She also said pupils would receive advice on modern farming practices such as tunnel farming and the use of high-quality seeds.

    This, according to her, will help school farmers access new markets, and increase their income.

    She reiterated that young farmers are the future of agriculture, urging the private sector to support them. The Commissioner said the next project is to encourage residents in Lagos to embark on mini-urban farms.

    Co-founder, Agrisite, Oyewale Akintonde, said the facilities would assist youths to acquire agriculture-related skills.

  • MTN splashes free airtime, data on Sudan evacuees

    MTN splashes free airtime, data on Sudan evacuees

    As Nigeria welcomes back the first set of evacuees fleeing Sudan, MTN Nigeria is offering free airtime and data to the returnees to support their resettlement in Nigeria.

    The North African country has been embroiled in a bloody conflict since April 15 and after waves of assurances by the Federal Government on evacuating Nigerians stranded in the country, over 300 of them landed at the Nnamdi Azikwe Airport, Abuja in the early hours of Thursday morning. More evacuees are expected to return through the course of the week.

    Receiving the evacuees at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq, said various organisations were supporting resettlement efforts for the returnees.

     “Today, we are very happy to receive them. They have gone through a very traumatic period but we give thanks to Almighty Allah that all of them are back safely. No life was lost which is the most important thing. All the efforts put in place were not in vain. I thank every member of the Committee that has put all efforts to ensure that these people are brought back safely and with dignity. We thank the transport companies for their support.

     “There is N100,000 that would transport them back to their families which is supported by the Dangote Foundation by giving them the transportation fare as well as the dignity kits and 25,000 recharge cards from MTN and 1.5 GB data courtesy of MTN. All efforts have been put in place and everyone has contributed to ensuring that at least these Nigerians have some comfort when they return home,” the minister said.

  • Firm unveils digital platform to strengthen learning

    Firm unveils digital platform to strengthen learning

    To revolutionise and democratise e-learning in Nigeria and indeed Africa, a firm has launched Educatial, which it said creates great institutions, unlocks the great potentials of Africa’s young population and creates wealth among the people.

    The launch of Educatial platform is coming as Android phones, e-learning tablets, laptops and other modern gadgets are now available to students to aid their studies, thus shifting emphasis from predominantly physical classrooms as centres of learning to online classrooms through smartphones and other devices of the user.

    At the launch in Ikeja, Chairman and Founder of Educatial, Mr. Francis Muofunanya, noted that globally, education, like every other sphere of life, has over the years, witnessed great evolution in methods and content of teaching and learning, thus, the need for the launch of Educatial.

    “Today is a special day in my life, the life of our organisation and educational development in Nigeria. I stand on the threshold of history as we undertake this journey of discovery to usher in quality and affordable education at all levels: primary, post-primary and tertiary – in Nigeria, Africa and beyond through our digital platform,” Francis said.

    He argued that as more learning happens online, education is overwhelmed and in need of a learning ecosystem that provides a unified solution to it.

    According to him, Educatial was developed by indigenous systems engineers. It is an exciting software-as-a-service ecosystem platform for the education sector focused on transforming learning for present and future generations.

    It provides a ‘one-stop-shop’ including hardware, software, infrastructure, hosting and support. Its focus is on teaching learners how to learn, training professionals in career-focused skills and equipping educators for success.

    “Educatial will engage the youths and help them acquire the relevant skills that will empower them to play on the global stage and hence curb excessive migration to other developed countries otherwise known as japa in search of better education and good-paying jobs.

    “Educatial developed 20 uniquely different but interconnected educational tools that are engaging, effective, impactful and fun but at the same time are useful in community-led learning.

    “Educatial will birth young professional billionaires in media, film making and other content creation hubs. Universities and other educational institutions will be able to exponentially increase their internally generated revenues through some of our digital bouquet without taxing students and their guardians,” he said of the special features of the app.