The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Information and Communication Technology

  • MAPOLY suspends SUG election as committee chair goes missing

    There was tension at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, following an indefinite suspension of Students’ Union Government (SUG) election.

    The exercise, scheduled for last Thursday at 10am, could not hold due to the absence of the Students’ Union Electoral Committee (SUELECO) chairman, identified as Adeniji.

    Students had gathered at the school’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre, the venue of the exercise, to cast their votes when it was discovered that Adeniji was not part of the 10-man committee that wanted to conduct the election.

    The development raised concerns among the voters and supporters of one of the presidential candidates.

    The two contenders for the union president are Samson Omoniyi, (aka Heritage), and Akinyemi Akinwale (aka Genesis). Both are students of Mass Communication.

    While Akinyemi’s loyalists were ready to cast their votes in the absence of the SUELECO chairman, Samson’s loyalists withdrew.

    An attempt by other members of the electoral committee to continue with the process met a stiff resistance from curious students, who asked for the whereabouts of the committee chairman. When the committee members could not give an answer, the students staged a walkout and called on their colleagues to boycott the election.

    Akinyemi’s campaign manager, who identified himself as Mandela, accused the opponent of masterminding the disappearance of the electoral committee chairman to disrupt the election, noting that Samson and his supporters knew they could not win a fair contest.

    He said: “Samson and his supporters should be asked questions on the whereabouts of the SUELECO chairman. They went to hide him somewhere and came here, asking for him. They want us to leave here so that they can conduct their own election. No way; we will remain here and election must hold.”

    The Staff Adviser of the Mass Communication Students’ Association, Mr. Lekan Togunwa, who addressed the agitated students, urged them to continue with the voting.

    Togunwa said it was not mandatory for the SUELECO chair to be available, but the students insisted on seeing the ‘missing’chairman before the election could go on.

    Togunwa disclosed that the whereabouts of the electoral committee chair was unknown and his phone number unreachable.

    At noon, the Director of Students Affairs (DSA) arrived in the venue and suspended the election.

    The DSA said: “Due to the absence of the chairman of the Students Union Electoral Committee, I am here on behalf of the school management to announce the suspension of the election till further notice.”

    At press time, the whereabouts of the electoral committee chairman remained unknown. Calls placed to the SUELECO Public Relations Officer (PRO) and the General Secretary were not received.

  • Dakore Egbuson – Akande joins MTN to share joy

    Ikoyi, Lagos was at a standstill when MTN Nigeria gifted several residents during the launch of the fourth edition of the company’s Season of Surprises. Star actor Dakore Egbuson was one of the guests present at the colourful launch in Ikoyi on Sunday, December 2, 2018.

    Chairman of the Board, Mr. Pascal Dozie, Chief Executive Officer, Ferdi Moolman; the Chief Operating Officer, Mazen Mroue, and other top executives of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) company were also present at the launch.

    After sharing food items to the residents, a grand raffle draw was held with palpable excitement all over the residents as Dakore presented the winners with large screen televisions, generators and other splendid prizes.

    Screams of joy coloured the venue with many winners dancing in glee as their neighbours watched on and joined in the dance.

  • NiRA urges FG to use ICT to rebuild Nigeria’s economy

    The President of the Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NiRA), Revd. Sunday Folayan has advised the federal government to reduce dependence on oil but rather rebuild the nation’s economy through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

    Folayan made this appeal at the 13th Network Technology Conference/Workshop organised by Nigeria Network Operators Groups (ngNOG) in Lagos, recently.

    Tagged: ‘Affordable Broadband for the Next 100 Million Nigerian,’ the event had in attendance notable mobile network operators, internet service providers, infrastructure providers, government regulators, end-users and security agencies.

    According to him, there is need to rebuild Nigeria’s economy so that it will be less dependent on oil and more dependent on other sources of revenue, especially information technology. Such, will require concerted efforts in legislation and policies, education and capacity building, open governance and enhanced accountability, he stressed.

    Connecting the next 100 million Nigerians, he maintained, will be made easy by recognising the importance of ICT in the nation’s socio-economic development by making ICT the centre-piece of national development through the steady pursuit of policies and programmes that will re-position Nigeria as a strong player in the emerging global digital economy.

  • 64 Sokoto students learn vocational, ICT skills

    No fewer than 64 youths have gained vocational and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills in Sokoto State courtesy of a non-governmental organisation, Am Change Humanitarian Organisation, in collaboration with the Sir Ahmadu Bello  Memorial Foundation.

    Executive Director of the organisation Hajia Hafsat Umaru Shinkafi said the objective of the training was to develop the capacity of the youth for self-reliance.

    The training, which drew youths between 18 and 25, from the Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto State also covered solar power installations.

    Hajia Shinkafi described the vocational skills being imparted on the youth as the most-sought after job skills needed in any community.

    She called on the beneficiaries to utilise the skills acquired in order to improve their lives.

    “(This) is an opportunity for you to be self-reliant and also become useful members of the society,” she said.

    Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, represented by the Head of Service, Dr. Buhari Bello Kware, commended the organisation for its efforts in training youths to be independent.

    Tambuwal praised the timely efforts of the two organs in redirecting youth consciousness to embrace such opportunities.

    “There is no lasting gift to give a youth other than that of education. This administration had embarked on youth development programmes within the last three years, especially in the education sector and training of civil servants through computer skills,” he said.

  • Human Trafficking: Obaseki advocates skills-based migration

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that Edo indigenes migrating to other parts of the world stand a better chance at life if they are equipped with on-demand skills to make them globally competitive.

    Governor Obaseki, who said this during a town hall meeting with indigenes of Edo under the aegis of Great Benin Origins (GBO) Worldwide, in Brussels, Belgium, noted that the state government is already working out modalities for Edo youth to develop these skills in the state.

    He kicked against the activities of human traffickers, who have given the state a bad name, noting that the state government is firming arrangements with local and international partners to train youth in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), so that they can be globally competitive.

    “Instead of all these people coming in to take money from these children, you can come, we will register you, we will train you, we will certify you and give you visas to go and work abroad. That is how it is done in other countries.

    “Our people are very important, and I am calling on you to join me in laying the foundation for the future,” he said.

    He lauded the group for working assiduously in sustaining the Benin identity, calling for a united front in the quest to develop the state.

    According to him, “Let us not make ourselves sub-minorities. Let us show unity and strength in numbers. So, we must make sure we come together, and reach out to others as Edo people.

    Read Also: Obaseki urges global action on population growth

    “We are doing other things in the area of infrastructure. That is the one you will see. We are rebuilding our road networks. Thank God we have a well-planned like city”

    President, Great Benin Origins (GBO) Worldwide, Engr. Isaac Igbinosun, lauded the governor for his leadership style, commitment to attracting investment to the state and initiatives on youth development.

    “We are proud of you, we are proud of your achievement since you took over the leadership of governing our state, Edo. We feel safe each time we look at what you are doing. We are solidly behind you and anytime we are called upon, we will be there to contribute our quota back home. It is always said that no matter where you go, home is home. We are very proud of you, we encourage you to continue,” Igbinosun said.

    The Great Benin Origin (GBO) is a social cultural organization that seeks to bring all Edo indigenes in diaspora under one umbrella with the purpose of restoring the lost glory of the great Benin Kingdom, promoting the Edo culture and tradition and assisting the economic development of the state.

    Igbinosun noted that some of the programmes of the group in promoting the preservation of Edo cultures include sponsorship of Edo culture and language competitions, award of scholarships to primary and secondary schools’ students as well as organising a diaspora state workers’ programme for the youth.

    He urged the state government to continue with the reforms on the ease of doing business, as members of the group are interested in investing in various aspects of the state’s economy with focus on agriculture and food security.

    The group also applauded the governor on his initiatives to improve the security architecture and guarantees on the sanctity of contracts, noting that these would endear the state to investors.

  • Bayelsa Govt, Microsoft, IGNITE to train teachers, students on ICT

    The Bayelsa State government is desirous of making Information and Communication Technology (ICT) a driving force of its educational system.

    The government wants to equip teachers and students with prerequisite skills to explore evolving technology eco-system in the country.

    So, the government in partnership with Microsoft and IGNITE recently commenced the training of 150 teachers and 2000 students on digital literacy.

    The weeklong training is supervised by  Bayelsa state ministries of education and Information. It is taking place at the St. Judes Girl Secondary School, Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Kicking off the Bayelsa State computer science week, the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, noted that computer education was the bedrock of of modern education. He said a foundation in computer science would place the state in an envying position.

    He said: “The essence of education is to produce a well-rounded child, noting that because technology is not new in today’s world, computer science has come to stay.

    Dickson, who was represented by Secretary to State Government, Kemela Okara, said the state would be at the happenings if it embraced the ICT.

    “A foundation in computer science is what will put Bayelsa State at the fore front of everything happening in the country today.

    “I want to commend Microsoft, IGNITE for the great feat, and we are open to many other partnership on computer and digital entrepreneur”, he said.

    Also speaking, the Commissioner for Education, Jonathan Obuibite, described the partnership as heroic and historic. He said the state was the third in the country to partner Microsoft on training its teachers.

    Obuibite said the training was designed for teachers and students.  “As a government we need to think outside the box because education is successful when everyone is involved”, he said.

    He added: “Our society will be properly educated with this mark, we can all remember that in 2012, the governor declared a state of emergency in education and this is one of the many benefits”.

    The Chief Executive Officer IGNITE, Chichi Okafor, commended the state government for the intervention, promising that the beneficiaries would never regret the initiative.

    A representative of Microsoft, Mr. Ade Olowojoba, noted that the partnership was a landmark initiative, adding that the company believed everyone should have access to computer education.

  • ASCON to cut cost, boost IGR

    Principal officers of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) rose from the institution’s 2018 top management retreat last week with a resolve to leverage Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance service delivery.

    They are hoping that using ICT solutions will boost the college’s clientele, enhance its relevance and consequently improve its Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR).

    The economic climate, they said, is also compelling the college to identify its needs and priortise the most important ones.

    “We want realistic resolutions. That mean if  we list about 30 things you want to do in a year, how possible is that? But if we priortise five needs this year, and next year we are able to take additional five, it is better and more realistic than looking at those needs beyond our resources,” said ASCON Director General, Mrs Cecilia Gaya, at the opening of TOMAC at ASCON premises in Topo, Badagry, Lagos.

    Speaking on the theme: ‘Re-engineering ASCON in a period of change: Our four-year strategic outlook (2018-2022)”. Gaya said the college hoped to improve patronage, while reducing cost.

    She also said the college would key into Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), which has eight-year priority points.

    When she assumed office in acting capacity June 20, 2016 (she was confirmed 10 months afterwards), Dr Gaya said she was confronted with the challenges of dwindling patronage, reduced government funding, infrastructural decay, and debt, among others.

    Despite this, Gaya said the college has survived by addressing its facility gaps, leverage goodwill of clients, and sustaining its rapport with Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Gambia Institute of Public Administration (GIMPA), as well as the African Management Development Institutes Network (AMDIN).

    She recalled that the college once enjoyed good patronage from government in, noting that with the deregulation of training institutions, ASCON must steps out of its cocoon to maximise its potentials.

    “About 25 years or thereabout, the training environment was regulated which meant that civil service on a yearly basis, would tell ASCON: ‘these are the number of staff to be trained’ and the money would simply be sent to us for the training.

     

  • Lawyer donates ICT centre to alma mater

    Lawyer donates ICT centre to alma mater

    To aid pupils in their academic work, a lawyer, Chief Richard Oma Ahonaruogho, has donated an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre to Victory High school, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Ahonaruogho, an old student of the school, donated N 1 million to the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) to refurbish the centre and furnish it. He also gave  the school 10 computers, a projector and a printer.

    The centre was commissioned on Sunday as part of activities by the Old Students Association to mark the New year

    The centre is the initiative of the PTA, which equipped it with three computers before Ahonaruogho stepped in.

    He said the project which he did in partnership with his wife, Mojisola, was to enhance the pupils’ ICT skills

    “It was a project done by me and my wife to give the pupils a better atmosphere and equip them with ICT skills.  You cannot underestimate the relevance of ICT in our world today and it is important that the pupils are not left behind.

    “In any field of professionalism, the knowledge of ICT is a necessity. When people are armed with such skills, they explore more,” said Ahonaruogho, who is the Ogowamise of Owo Kingdom.

    The philanthropist also gives scholarships to pupils and a N50,000 endowment to the best graduating pupil.  He has also promised to sponsor any pupil who gained admission to study law at the University of Benin up to Master’s Degree level.

    The school Principal,  Mr Jolayemi Odedele, said Ahonaruogho had always supported the school.

    “Richard has always been supportive of the school. He has done a lot and is still doing more. It is a welcome development in the school. He made a promise to us and he fulfilled it,” he said.

    Odedele said the centre would  be of benefit to pupils and teachers, who will undergo training to expand their teaching delivery process.

  • ICT panacea to poor reading culture, says Okebukola

    ICT panacea to poor reading culture, says Okebukola

    Former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Prof Peter Okebukola, has urged schools from basic to tertiary levels to inculcate in their learners the culture of reading via Information and Communication Technology (ICT) gadgets. This, according to him, is one of the ways a decline in reading culture among children and youths can be arrested.

    Okebukola said parents, teachers and government all continue to complain about crashing reading culture, without acknowledging the fact that physical books are fast fading into extinction, and are becoming less attractive to children of nowadays.

    The former executive secretary delivered a keynote address at the annual conference/AGM of the Nigerian Publishers Association which held at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, last  Thursday. It was themed: Functional national book policy: A catalyst for educational development

    Okebukola said due to their schooldays experience, most parents erroneously believe ‘reading from books’ alone is the only way by which knowledge can be acquired.

    He said: “Reading culture does not necessarily mean reading books, because that’s what people really think should be the trend.

    “But many of our children use this gadget that we have. So if we are able to put contents in their hand held devices, then it would help to stimulate their reading culture.

    And if we have programmes in the school system that will push the children to read, that would also help to some extent. In another 20 years, you are hardly going to get physical books because they would have been like relics. The world is moving fast towards digitalising the resources.

    “We have books and books everywhere, but people to read the books don’t have the appetite to do so.

    So you have reading culture that is depressing in Nigeria, and if this is not arrested, we just continue to get books flooding the market and the knowledge encoded in the books does not get translated. What we need to do from pre primary up to university is to encourage the development of the teaching culture from students to teachers and even parents.

    “To do this will include enhancing literacy level because you want to read only words you have the ability to. Our agencies at the federal and state levels that are concerned with promoting literacy should also strive to see how reading culture can be promoted.

    As former NUC boss  17 years ago, Okebukola said the commission saw the phenomenon of e books and journals coming; hence mandated universities nationwide to have e libraries in addition to physical libraries that would grant their students access to academic materials online.

    He therefore urged NPA to be wary of this phenomenon and therefore be proactive.

    “These people are yet to catch up with the reality but the circumstances of the future will compel them the change because e books will be the vogues as student will prefer reading through ICT-devices,” Okebukola added.

    The high point of the event is the unveiling of the books exhibition

    Earlier President of NPA Mr Gbadega Adedapo, described the body established 52 years ago, as a confluence between the government and citizenry in providing quality educational materials to the populace as well as promote and protect publishers.

    According to him, the theme of the conference was based on the exposure the body has witnessed over the years and how same experience has affected development in education with its consequent effect on the economy.

    He said NPA would continue to seek implementation of functional book policy in further development of the sector.

    “There are myriads of problems still encompassing the book publishing industry such as book piracy which has degenerated into mistrust among stakeholders as well as availability of raw materials and equipment to process it. We are optimistic of the fact that functional book policies if implemented would solve some of these problems. On that note, we need full support of our government,” he concluded.

  • Fed Govt plans ICT varsity, says minister

    Fed Govt plans ICT varsity, says minister

    The Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, has said the Federal Government has concluded plans to establish an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) university. The proposed ICT school, he said, is informed by the low-ranking of Nigeria in terms of development when compared to other African countries’growths.

    At the yearly lecture of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), the minister urged the academy to partner with the ministry to set up the ICT school, which, he assured, would be “run as a public-private partnership”.

    Shittu said since ICT had become an enabler of growth in modern time, it was time Nigeria filled the gap in the ICT industry by equipping its youths with requisite knowledge.

    He said: “I want to invite your academy to partner with the Ministry of Communications in setting up of the ICT University. If your academy is favourably  disposed towards that, we are prepared to cede one of the six campuses to you, so we can jointly run it to ensure that our youths get the best ICT training.”

    He said he would play an intermediary role between the academy and the Federal Government for whatever contact the academy might need to make the partnership successful.

    The guest lecturer, Prof Michael Adewumi, who spoke on: Training engineers for the global century, said he believed Nigeria needed to train globally-competitive and locally-relevant engineers.

    To achieve this, he said engineering training must surmount the problems of one-dimensional training, ignorance of local context and the expectation of employment in multinationals upon graduation.

    The lecturer at Pennsylvania State University in the United States (U.S.) maintained that local knowledge must be fully harnessed.

    “To train a successful engineer, we must have a seamless integration between what they already experience and what they need to know. For example, while teaching gaming theory or probability, why not focus on the game of ayo instead of baseball,” he said.

    Adewunmi also said three-dimensional education, which involves diversifying the curriculum, as well as creativ1e application of solutions from the local to global stage is essential if Nigeria is to have locally-relevant engineers.

    The event featured induction of new fellows and presentation of life achievement awards to selected professionals.

    Former Minister of Works and Housing Senator Barnabas Germade, who was inducted, lauded the selection process of the award, saying: “It is the application of engineering laws that qualifies anyone to become a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering.”