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Our Reporter

The rapper, singer/songwriter and entrepreneur is holding over his global fanbase with a smooth new ​Spanglish​ song; “Alessa.”

Though based in Guadalajara, Mexico, Rainfredrick has a talent for seamlessly weaving English and Spanish lyrics together. Perhaps it comes from his cultural background; raised on Afrobeats in Nigeria, Rainfredrick left Africa at an early age to study and see the world.

He picked up new music influences while visiting over 20 Latin American countries and learning fluent Spanish in less than two years.

His music falls between two worlds that are different. The sounds of his youth have found a way into the music he makes — an intoxicating blend of hip-hop, R&B and Latin Pop.

Speaking on the new single, Rainfredrick talks about the admiration he has for his fans and the themes that shaped his love for Spanglish.

“The question I get asked most often is: ‘what are you saying in Spanish/English?’ As an artist, it’s a huge compliment when I hear Spanish and English-speaking fans make unintelligible sounds to emulate the words, even though they don’t know the meaning of some lyrics. I often see fans memorizing them by heart. This is the power of Spanglish Music, which is, in my opinion, is a language phenomenon similar to my native Nigerian Pidgin. Fans come to understand the meaning in the foreign language, even if they don’t know the language itself. With the power of repetition, fans are learning foreign words from the context of my songs.”

Monalisa Stephens based in Lagos, Nigeria features on the track and debuts her dulcet tones with a fresh vibe. Although she is an English speaker she decided it was essential to include a few bars in Spanish.

Rainfredrick burst onto the music scene in March of 2020 with his debut track “Put Me On The Map.” The follow up leading singles, “Sydney,” and “Portia” also defined his Spanglish sound. Rainfredrick’s music brings an endless passion for lyricism, cultures and life.

Former Lagos State Deputy Governor and Education Commissioner, Mrs. Sarah Adebisi Sosan, was among experts who lauded the creation of a virtual coaching and training platform to help people re-train after unplanned job losses.

She was joined by Group Managing Director, Prima Garnet, Lagos, Lolu Akinwunmi; the Managing Director, Risk Analyst Insurance Brokers Limited, Mrs. Funmi Babington-Ashaye; and others who underscored the need for a platform that allows Nigerians to upgrade their skills and get the needed support to continue earning an income.

The virtual platform, Pathfinda, offers vocational education training, capacity development programmes, as well as business clinics and pre-retirement planning among others.

Chairman, Pathfinda Consulting Ltd, Hannah Oyebanjo, said the platform was necessary given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on national life.

“The global pandemic has left a lot of businesses and individuals grappling for survival. On the one hand, businesses have had to make tough decisions including downsizing, cutting down salaries etc in order to survive while individuals have to find alternatives like a new job, a side business and what have you. Pathfinda offers affected businesses and individuals alike ‘a better way’ to cope with these current realities,” she said.

Ms. Oyebanjo also said the platform can help employers manage the disengagement process with minimal negative impact as well as meet the need of laid-off employees to continue life with minimal disruption by helping them take risky steps including entrepreneurship or starting a business, change career path.

Praising the initiative, Mr. Akinwunmi said the firm had done well in birthing a solution to pressing issues in a pandemic era.

From Sunny Nwankwo, Umuahia

The National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN), Aba, Abia State, has called on the Federal Government to support its efforts in producing graduate teachers that can teach science subjects in local languages.

This is even as NINLAN has appealed for its inclusion among tertiary institutions benefiting from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

The Executive Director of the Institute, Prof. Obiajulu Emejulu, made the appeal when he received the Chairman of the Education Thematic Committee of TETFund and the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi in Aba.

Ogunyemi was accompanied to NINLAN by other academics, including a former Vice – Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Prof. Chigozie Aziagbaka; President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Prof. Francis Egbokhare; and Technical Director of the TETFund Committee, Dr. Andy Iheme.

The NINLAN Executive Director told the team that the institute’s mandate was relevant to achieving Nigeria’s academic, technological and economic dreams.

“The institute is in the process of training students who will graduate to be teachers of sciences using their mother tongue,” Emejulu said.

He urged the delegation to recommend NINLAN to be mainstreamed in TETFund, which would greatly boost the institute’s contribution to national development – including the completion of various researches.

Also speaking, the Deputy Executive Director of NINLAN, Prof. Solomon Oyetade, said teaching in local languages would boost learning.

“It is possible to teach the sciences in indigenous languages, and that makes for easier understanding by students and pupils. It is better to teach pupils in their mother tongue than in a learned, foreign language,” he said, giving the Asian Tigers as examples.

He said a former Minister of Education, the late Prof. Babatunde Aliyu Fafunwa, had proven thhe carried out in the 80s in Ife that this was also possible.

Responding, the team leader, Prof. Ogunyemi, acknowledged NINLAN request, advising the executive director to send the necessary formal proposal to the relevant offices.

By Damola Kola-Dare

Vice-Chancellor of Crawford University, Igbesa,Ogun State, Prof. Reuben Jiya Kolo has underscored the need for entrepreneurship training in universities across the country to stem the tide of unemployment.

Speaking during  a press briefing ahead of the institution’s  12th Convocation next Wednesday, Kolo said it would feature a lecture entitled: “Entreprenurship: Its Impact on Youth and National Development” to be delivered by Dr. Francis Layiwola Fatona.

The Vice-Chancellor, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Alaba Simpson, said the institution empowers its graduates with job-creating skills by making them go through a systematised Entrepreneurship curriculum.

“Students in Crawford University are introduced to the study of Entrepreneurship in 200-Level, where they are trained on the processes of starting up their own businesses. This includes the formal business registration, raising finance for the business, growing the business and ensuring that the business thrives,” he said.

He said the university would be graduating students with bachelors and higher degrees, namely – Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters in various disciplines.

The VC said the school inaugurated a COVID-19 Safety Measure Committee which not only ensured the production facemasks and hand sanitisers but erected hand washing facilities and banners to sensitise students, and distributed palliatives to host communities.

He thanked the Parents’ Forum for supporting their wards in provision of data and hardware for online learning during the lockdown.

By Yemisi Olaosun

Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof. Kolawole Salako, has said the institution will soon create a unit for developing agricultural applications on the internet.

He disclosed this while addressing participants of the In-Person Capacity Building Training of the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI), under the auspices of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), during the training titled “Data Analysis Using R-Statistics”.

Salako, a fellow of the Soil Science Society of Nigeria (FSSSN) and the pioneer Southwest coordinator of ACAI, called for the review of extension activities because they were becoming boring, stating that extension services should be directed at development and encouraged participants to visit FUNAAB as part of the training programme.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, the training was designed for national agricultural research partners of ACAI and IITA, adding that the development of agricultural applications on the Internet would assist farmers in their day-to-day activities. The event was graced by the Southwest Coordinator of ACAI, Dr. Mutiu Busari and officials from FUNAAB and IITA.

By Damola Kola-Dare

Rector, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH),  Mr. Obafemi Omokungbe, has reaffirmed the college’s commitment to eliminating sexual harassment with the launch of a policy document to that effect.

This was just as the college unveiled the Yaba Art Museum, a project supported by the Ford Foundation.

Speaking at the event, held at the Yusuf Grillo Auditorium, Omokungbe noted that the launch of  the ‘YCT Policy on Sexual Harassment and other Forms of Gender-based Violence’, reaffirmed the college’s commitment to end sexual harassment.

“The launch of YCT policy on sexual harassment is a reaffirmation of our commitment to eliminate and prevent gender-based violence in our environment. With a zero tolerance for sexual harassment in the college,it is only right that we take necessary steps for its sustenance,” he said.

On the art museum which is housed inside the basement of YABATECH School of Art, Design and Printing, Omokungbe said it was the first of its kind.

“The art museum will serve both cultural and education purposes, with the intent to teach, train and be a resource space for both researchers and learners,” he said.

He said the institution had produced famous artists who he praised for their contributions towards the realisation of the project.

He thanked the Ford Foundation for its support and contribution of $100,000 for the project.

He canvassed the support of well-meaning individuals, corporate organisations, stakeholders and friends of the college for the forthcoming launch of N50 billion Endowment Fund to assist the college in upgrading and development of its infrastructure to boost  learning and research.

Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture,  Mrs. .Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, lauded the college for scoring another first with the initiative.

She urged the institution to collaborate with the state government to put the Museum to good use.

Our Reporter

The proposed move to ensure that the Ilaro Polytechnic is upgraded to a University has been further boosted in the Senate as the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has directed the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institution to carry out further legislative action on the proposed legislation.

The bill was initially sponsored by Senator Solomon Adeola, Chairman of the Senate Community on Finance in the 8th Senate but it could not move pass the first reading stage before the expiry of the 9th National Assembly.

However the latest development comes as a result of the new bill which is jointly sponsored by Adeola and Senator Tolu Odebiyi who is the Ogun West Senatorial District.

Leading the debate for the second reading, Adeola said the imperative for the establishment of the university was informed mostly by the expansion and development of the polytechnic established some 38 years ago.

He said the institution has ample latitude for massive expansion in terms of space because it is located in a semi urban cum rural setting of Ilaro.

READ ALSO: Police, Ilaro poly, others get 65 radio, TV licences

He said, “It is worthy of note that the Polytechnic has many infrastructural facilities, which many state owned and privately owned universities cannot boast of.

“Ironically those state and newly established federal universities have today been granted National University Commission Accreditation and are running courses as full-fledged universities” he argued.”

The second reading of the bill was not opposed by any Senator and was supported by Odebiyi and Senator Bamidele Opeyemi (Ekiti Central).

Our Reporter

When Anas Essa founded Diamond White Smile in 2017, it was just a little more than a passion project that was taking up a significant portion of his time. “At the time I was in dental school and I knew two things,” Anas says about the origin of the project.

“I knew I wanted to work with people and their smiles, and I also knew I wanted to work for myself only. A smile is the first thing someone notices about you. Starting Diamond White Smile allowed me to change someone’s smile and see their confidence rise. This is the most rewarding part of my job and is why I started this company.”

Differentiating themselves from their competitors is a fundamental driver of Diamond White Smile’s business model, Mr. Essa is at pain to explain. “What makes us unique is we not only offer in-office teeth whitening but we are now an academy who help to train others to become teeth whitening technicians themselves,” he says. “We want our students to become successful and it’s our priority to make sure that happens.”

However, scaling the business presented some challenges. “I had many obstacles to overcome when I first started Diamond White Smile,” he explains. “This was the first business I opened therefore I had done a lot of research and had spoken to different business owners to get some insight and help prepare myself.”

Still, getting those insights did not present the full picture of his challenge, but he has somehow figured it out.“Even though I tried to prepare myself there were still the challenges of opening costs and supplies, incorporating the business, and learning about accounting and financials,” Anas explains – “Once all that was figured out, I still had to grow my company as it was all new.”

Our Reporter

Eight years ago, Ivan Tapia was in the parking lot of a small business crying after he was laid off from his job.

His life was in the middle of a flux and he knew he had to find something doing that would detach his capacity to earn away from the cynicism of corporate America..

The Mexico-born entrepreneur got into marketing and started to build, continuing to work hard at his side job even when he got another job. Within two years of his involvement in marketing, he was a millionaire with investments in multiple businesses.

In the midst of all his successes, he has been taking notes of the lessons that have helped his journey and one of the first things he has learned is the power of social media. “It didn’t use to have a role before,” he says about thepower of social media. “But since last 3 years I have been very focused on how to get social media marketing to help me add move value to the people, and help me getting closer to my life purpose. Social media is definitely the best tool to help creating a worldwide opportunity of success, and sending your message world wide.”

Also, he is fast to point out the importance of having mentors. “You need a mentor in your industry you desire to be successful. The industries I’m more successful at, its because I have a mentor(s), and follow their instructions. There aretwo ways of learning in life, by mentors (their experience), or your own experience only. It will be less painful to learn from mentors, as it’s wisdom you’re obtaining from somebody else experience.”

Above all, Ivan thinks it’s important to always remain teachable no matter the circumstance. “I’ve had people that I meet, that as soon as they have a level of results, they stop learning from their mentors, or they think ‘they know it all.’ Always keep your feet on the ground, as there’s always going to be people that know, or have more than you.”

Our Reporter

Having the desire to impact the world and actually working at inspiring the world are two different things.

For Jessie Lee Ward, it is important to follow up her desire with some actionable work. “Mindset is everything,” she says. “The mindset to start, the mindset to continue, the mindset to grow, the mindset to change, the mindset to have more grit than you ever have quit. Nearly everything runs through having a powerful mindset in who you want to be and who you want to become.”

Jessie has built more than one multi-million dollar business in the last decade and sees it as a continuation of her rise from lack to prosperity. “I have built 3 multi-million dollar monthly businesses online in the last 9 years without any paid advertising,” she says. “I grew up in a small town in Maryland in poverty and have changed the legacy of my entire family from a decision to go toward entrepreneurship.”

Going on, she adds, “I have several businesses. I am a leader in a network marketing company, I own a hair salon, I trade money, I own part of a construction company, a CBD company, and more.”

Presently, Jessie is looking at different ways to make her impact continuously felt. “I am forever growing,” she points out. “I want to continue to impact the world. I have been utilizing a ton of social media to make that happen. My podcast in general is approaching 1 million downloads with no signs of slowing down.”

All this success started from a simple need to provide her rent. “I needed $300 a month to pay for my rent, it was really for nothing more. It turned into a huge animal of its own but at first it wasn’t about anything more than survival.”

From there, she has gotten to the top and has no intention to stop making impact.