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Tag: Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade

  • Google plans to train 6,000 media practitioners in 2017

    Google plans to train 6,000 media practitioners in 2017

    West Africa Google says it  plans to equip more than 6, 000 media professionals in the region on the appropriate use of Google tools in 2017.

    Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, the Head of Communications of West Africa Google made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday.

    He said that Google had already trained more than 300 media professionals in West Africa in the first quarter of the year.

    “We are currently working on a programme where we can train thousands of media people across West Africa.

    “Every discovery usually starts with a search. People usually go online and search for ideas, innovations and what is trending in the global world.

    “Google has provided a platform for young people who are seeking to bridge the knowledge gap by connecting with people of like-minds in order to make their innovation a reality,” he said.

    The communication officer explained that the focus on media was because of the extreme important influence as a primary mode of communication of informing the public on new developments.

    “When the media knows most other people know. Helping the media to tell stories more interesting and also helping to ensure the media has the right tools to inform others is important to Google.

    “That is why we have decided to embark on a massive training procedure to equip the media with the appropriate use of utilising the Google tools to their benefits,” he said.

    Kola-Ogunlade said that basic data tools for media such as web basics, advanced search, trends, news verification and other social media search techniques were taught at the workshop.

    He said that other tools such as storytelling with geography tools, web-stripping and data visualisation were also added to make the workshop more informative and educative.

  • Meningitis, autism top searches on Google

    Meningitis, autism top searches on Google

    Nigerians last week searched on Google for information related to meningitis and autism, apparently due to reported cases of meningitis, an official said on Thursday.

    Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Anglophone West Africa, made this known in a statement in Lagos.

    The manager said that meningitis outbreak in Nigeria got many people using Google Search to find out more information about the disease.

    According to him, the one-week search ended on April 5.
    “The rise in the number of deaths and the Buhari Support Group Centre’s (BSGC) decision to embark on a sensitisation campaign across states affected by the outbreak got people searching for the disease online.
    “It has search phrases such as, `meningitis outbreak in Nigeria’, `cause of meningitis’, `meningitis outbreak’ and `how to prevent meningitis,’’ the manager said.
    According to Kola-Ogunlade, parents are advised to seek early medical help against diseases.

    “Mr Joshua Anav, Programmes Manager at the Ike Foundation for Autism on April 3, in Abuja, advised parents to seek medical assistance as early as possible.
    “This is to prevent full development of autism in toddlers, and as such, many Nigerians have gone onto Google to search for more information about autism.
    “Nigerians went to search for information using search terms such as `Fewa Otedola’, `meaning of autism’, and `Autistic child,’’ he said.

    He said that Nigerians also searched for information on Big Brother Nigeria and weekend sports.

    “Some Nigerians are more concerned about Big Brother Nigeria and the weekend sports, which included the Barcelona match against Granada, than autism or meningitis,’’ he said.

    He noted that Big Brother Nigeria’s Sunday night eviction show usually attracted a high number of viewers from reality television fans.
    The manager said that people who missed the live show went to Google to search for the YouTube video of the eviction show.
    He said that the search phrases included, “Big Brother Nigeria, 2017 eviction”, “Efe and Marvis”, “#bbnaija”, “Africa Magic, and “BBA Naija 2017”.
    Kola-Ogunlade said that in the world of sports, football lovers searched using terms such as “Granada vs Barcelona highlights”, “Barcelona Granada”, “Granada vs Barcelona” and “Arsenal vs Man City”.
    Kola-Ogunlade added that the arrest and detention of a U.S.-trained journalist, Kemi Olunloyo, also trended on Google after newspapers reported that Port Harcourt-based Pastor David Ibiyeomie laid charges against her over alleged defamation of character.

    “Popular faces such as Nollywood actress, Uche Nnanna, questioned the legitimacy of the case Ibiyeomie holds against Kemi.
    “Nnanna posted her reaction on Instagram, citing that a man of God should not have a journalist arrested for doing her job, if indeed the man is practising what he preaches, as this is something Jesus will not do,” he said.
    He also said that the hashtag #KeepTheChangeBae trended on the popular social network, Twitter, for over 24 hours.
    “It all started when Pablo Ayodeji, a young bachelor took a lady out on a date, hoping it would be a start to a relationship with young and beautiful Ore.
    “But when she said: “No, there will not be a second date or a relationship here”, Pablo took to Twitter to rant about a date gone wrong.
    “Ore, seeing Pablo’s rants on twitter, decided to payback N5,000 into Pablo’s account, which is N1,200 more to what he spent on the date, asking Pablo to keep the `change’.
    “Internet users used Google Search to query “keep the change bae”, “Pablo Escobar” and “Ibada”,’’ he said.
    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Google Trends launched in May, 2006, allows one to see how popular search terms and their demography has been overtime on Google.

     

  • Women’s achievements, scandals top Google searches

    Google said on Wednesday that achievements, contributions and a scandal involving women, topped the list of internet searches last week.

    Mr. Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager for Anglophone West Africa made the announcement in Lagos.

    According to him, the development shows that women are steadily coming worldwide.

    He said that the searches which ended on March 15 saw the internet filled with excitement as people went online to search for the International Women’s Day.

    “The International Women’s Day, which was on March 8, was another reason to celebrate the contributions of women all over the world and Nigeria was not left out.

    “The earliest women’s day observance was held on Feb. 28, 1909 in New York and organised by the Socialist Party of America.

    “It was really nice to see that Nigerians observed this celebration and Nigerian women were also celebrated.

    The Google manager said that the return of Mr. President also got people’s attention online.

    “Yes, so President Buhari finally leaves London and returns to Nigeria.

    “Hopes were rekindled and faces lifted again as the President of Nigeria returned from his London vacation and routine medical check-up.

    “After being away for 51 days, President Buhari is finally back at Aso Villa and rededicated to serving Nigeria and Nigerians,” the Google spokesman said.

    The Stephanie Otobo, Canada-based stripper vs Apostle Johnson Suleiman, the General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministry Worldwide (Part two) saga also got attention online, Kola-Ogunlade said.

    He said that Suleiman raised an outcry of a plot by Festus Keyamo, a legal practitioner and his paymasters, to unveil a cloned video clip to prove that he had an ardent relationship with Otobo.

    The Google manager added that Daniella Okeke, a Nollywood actress, disclaimed involvement with the Suleiman’s sex scandal similarly got attention online.

    He said that Okeke had been directed by her lawyers to keep mute and it would be the responsibility of her lawyers to respond on her behalf.

    Kola-Ogunlade said that Nollywood actress Mercy Johnson’s appointment as the Senior Special Assistant on Entertainment, Arts and Culture by Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi also got attention online.

    “The maestro actress has expressed her appreciation to the governor of Kogi State and his wife for her appointment.

    “She has also pledged to serve her state with the experience she has garnered over the years.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Google Trends launched in May 2006, allows one to see how popular search terms and their demography have been over time on Google.

  • Ibori’s return tops Google search

    Ibori’s return tops Google search

    The return of the convicted former Governor of Delta, James Ibori, was one of the top stories that dominated Google in the last few days.

    The Google Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Anglophone West Africa, Mr. Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, made the disclosure in a statement in Lagos on Thursday.

    He said, “The week starting from February 1 to February 8 could be described as quite sensational, if one was to use the Google Trends as a measure.

    “The return of James Ibori, convicted former Governor of Delta, made the news again, when he returned to Nigeria.

    “The former statesman has been in the news since he was charged to court for several corruption charges before he was extradited to the United Kingdom for trial and conviction.

    “He was recently released from a London prison after completing a 13-year jail term,’’ the Google spokesman said.

    Another top sensational trend in Nigeria was the news of a popular star accused of fraud.

    “Oga Seun, wetin dey happen?’’ the Google manager queried.

    Kola-Ogunlade said the popular Nollywood filmmaker, Seun Karim, a.k.a Seun Egbegbe, was in the news again for allegedly trying to defraud an unsuspecting Bureau De Change (BDC) operator of N10 million.

    According to him, the filmmaker pretended to be a medical doctor while trying to defraud the BDC operator.

    “This accusation comes six days before his appearance in court for alleged theft of nine iPhones in November 2016,’’ he said.

    Kola-Ogunlade said the #IStandWithNigeria protest, which was held without the popular musician, Tuface, its mastermind, was a top trend.

    “Just as the internet was ready to stand with Tuface who announced on social media that he would lead a protest against the Nigerian Government, he backed out.

    “The well-respected musician explained that he stalled the event due to security concerns and public safety considerations.

    “The protest which was publicised as #IStandWithNigeria, went on as planned without him in Lagos, Abuja and some other parts of Nigeria,” the Google man said.

     

  • What Nigerians searched for in 2016 on Google

    What Nigerians searched for in 2016 on Google

    Searches on Google, leading Internet search engine  in 2016 was intense and far-reaching.

    Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Anglophone West Africa, Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, stated this  on Wednesday  noted that the searches are from elections to exciting, shocking and hopeful issues.

    He said in a statement that this year’s compilation of top trending searches brought together stories and questions through the eyes of Nigerians on the web.

    “Sieving out the top searches from the flurry of inquiries on sensational and diverse moments, are top trending celebrity stories, major events on ‘what is’ and ‘how to’ searches, travel questions and exciting perspectives of the world.

    “The direction of this year’s search reveals that Nigerians are eager to learn about current events not just within the country, but in other parts of the world.

    “The searches for the year also moved outside search for songs, actors, movies and sports news.

    “For instance, going by the top trending searches, it was unveiled that Nigerians went online to search for “What is Budget Padding”, due to an allegation that came from the Nigerian Senate against the presidency.

    “Also are search questions like “what is in Nigeria’s newspaper today?” and “what is bureaucracy”, indicated that Nigerians were concerned about the state of the country,” he said.

    The Google manager said that some other top searches on Google for the year were personalities like ‘Stephen Keshi’ and ‘Bukky Ajayi’ who died in the year.

    He said that Donald Trump, America’s president-elect, his opponent ‘Hillary Clinton’ and Legendary American boxer ‘Muhammad Ali’ also trended.

    Kola-Ogunlade said that empowerment and self-improvement, which included seeking directions and finding new ways to do things was some of the top searches for the year.

    He said that Nigerians were also eager to empower themselves and learn ways to do new things.

    He said that some of the questions on the ‘How to’ list was “how to sing better” and “how to take care of pigs”.

    He listed the full 2016 search list as, for the ‘What is’ list are – “what is Nigeria news papers today’’, “what is the latest news of Manchester United’’, “the meaning of love’’, “what is Public Relations’’.

    Others on thewhat is list are “what is telecommunication’’, “what is mmm’’, “what is bureaucracy’’, “budget padding’’, “insulin’’, and “what is motivation’’.

    He said that on the ”How to” list are “how to DJ a party’’, “stop auto renewal on GLO’’, “know original iphone5s’’, “style twist braids’’, “munch on Samsung Galaxy 6 Egde’’, “take care of pigs’’.

    Others on the how list are “to check jamb result 2016’’, `edit a pdf file’’, “sing better’’ and “how to draw a perfect eye brow’’.

    Kola-Ogunlade said that as regards people searched are; Donald Trump, Stephen Keshi, Muhammad Ali, Pogba, Hillary Clinton, Simone Biles, Jose Mourinho, Prince, Shkodran Mustafi and Bukky Ajayi

    He listed the events searched as- Olympic Games Rio 2016, U.S. Elections, Brexit, ASUU Strike, Olajumoke Orisaguna, Miss Anambra, Fidel Castro, Edo Elections, Holi Festival and Black Friday.

    The Google manager said that on the songs list are – Kiss Daniel Mama, Tekno Pana, Phyno Fada Fada, Kiss Daniel Jombo, Olamide, Who You Epp, Lil Kesh Ishe, Falz Soft Work.

    Also on the songs list are Adekunle gold ready, Drake – One Dance Ft. Wizkid & Kyla and Psquare bank alert.

    He said that for actors are; Bukky Ajayi, Henrietta Kosoko, Arakangudu, Dede One dDay, Falz, Alan Rickman, Ani Iyoho, Juliet Ibrahim, Olumide Bakare, Halima Abubakar.

    He listed the Movies / TV Series as; Suicide Squad, Captain America Civil War, Game of Thrones Season 6, Empire Season 3, Deadpool, Batman vs Superman, Warcraft, Gods of Egypt, London has fallen and X Men Apocalypse.

    He said that for Sport People are; Stephen Keshi, Muhammad Ali, Pogba, Simone Biles, Jose Mourinho, Mustafi, Lucas Perez, Granit Xhaka, Kante, Mahrez.

    He listed the mobile phones searched this year as; iphone 7, Infinix Note 3, Samsung galaxy S7, Tecno Camon C9, Infinix hot 4, Tecno Boom J8, Infinix Hot 2, Infinix Zero 3, Tecno W4 and Tecno W3.

    List of recipes included; Nigerian spaghetti recipe, Nigeria chicken curry recipe, spaghetti bolognese recipe, ofada stew recipe, Nigerian cupcakes recipe, Nigerian grilled chicken recipe.

    Others in the recipe category are cake recipe with custard powder, easy sausage stir fry recipe, spring rolls recipe and velvet cake recipe.

    The Google Trends launched in May, 2006, allows one to see how popular search terms and its demography have been over a period.

     

    Here’s The Full List: Year in Search 2016

    What is…

    what is nigeria news papers today?

    what is the latest news of manchester united

    what is the meaning of love

    what is public relations

    what is telecommunication

    what is mmm

    what is bureaucracy

    what is budget padding

    what is insulin

    what is motivation

    How to…

    how to dj a party

    how to stop auto renewal on glo

    how to know original iphone5s

    how to style twist braids

    how to munch on samsung galaxy s6egde

    how to take care of pigs

    how to check jamb result 2016

    how to edit a pdf file

    how to sing better

    how to draw a perfect eye brow

    People

    donald trump

    stephen keshi

    muhammad ali

    pogba

    hillary clinton

    simone biles

    jose mourinho

    Prince

    Shkodran Mustafi

    bukky Ajayi

    Events

    Olympic games rio 2016

    US Elections

    Brexit

    ASUU Strike

    Olajumoke Orisaguna

    Miss Anambra

    Fidel Castro

    Edo Elections

    Holi Festival

    Black Friday

    Songs

    Kiss Daniel Mama

    Tekno Pana

    phyno fada fada

    kiss daniel jombo

    olamide who you epp

    lil kesh ishe

    falz soft work

    adekunle gold ready

    Drake – One Dance Ft Wizkid & Kyla

    p square bank alert

    Actors

    bukky ajayi

    henrietta kosoko

    arakangudu

    dede one day

    falz

    alan rickman

    ani iyoho

    Juliet Ibrahim

    Olumide Bakare

    Halima Abubakar

    Movies / TV Series

    Suicide squad

    captain america civil war

    game of thrones season 6

    empire season 3

    deadpool

    batman vs superman

    warcraft

    gods of egypt

    london has fallen

    x men apocalypse

    Sport People

    stephen keshi

    muhammad ali

    pogba

    simone biles

    jose mourinho

    mustafi

    lucas perez

    granit xhaka

    kante

    mahrez

    Mobile phones

    iphone 7

    infinix note 3

    samsung galaxy s7

    tecno camon c9

    infinix hot 4

    tecno boom j8

    infinix hot 2

    infinix zero 3

    tecno w4

    tecno w3

    Recipes

    nigerian spaghetti recipe

    nigeria chicken curry recipe

    spaghetti bolognese recipe

    ofada stew recipe

    nigerian cupcakes recipe

    nigerian grilled chicken recipe

    cake recipe with custard powder

    easy sausage stir fry recipe

    spring rolls recipe

    velvet cake recipe

    Near Me…

    nail salon near me

    movies near me

    hotels near me

    places to eat near me

    western union near me

    moneygram near me

    things to do near me

    job opportunities near me

    fidelity bank near me

    hair salons near me

    Directions to…

    directions to lekki peninsula resort lagos

    directions to banana island lagos

    directions to home

    directions to ikeja city mall

    directions to national postgraduate medical college

    directions to ruby gardens lekki

    directions to yaba lagos

    bus directions to acl travels

    directions to yaba market lagos

    directions to a nike store in nigeria

     

  • Google begins digital skills training for 1million Africans

    Google begins digital skills training for 1million Africans

    Google, the American multinational technology company has announced a commitment to train 1million young Africans in digital skills in the next one year, which is undeniably a capacity building opportunity for the continent.

    Making the announcement on Tuesday, Google Country Manager, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor described the initiative as an amazing opportunity for businesses and digital entrepreneurs in Africa.

    According to her, if people have the right skills, they can build business, they will become more employable and can really help to boost the economy of the continent.

    “In 2015 we ran a survey across South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya just to understand how Africans are using the web. And we found out that 74% of the respondents said they will prefer to use digital tools for various tasks, while 69% of respondents said the internet is their first point of call if they need to get information.

    “So more and more we are seeing internet as an integral part of our lives on this continent. A Makinson report also mentioned that from 2013 to 2020, the internet would have contributed $300billion to the economy and that ecommerce will go from non existence to a $75billion industry. So the opportunities are in numbers. And there is a World Bank study that says for every 10% increase in broadband, you have a corresponding 1.38% increase in GDP.

    “From the work that we do, we do hear businesses talking about the fact that the internet really makes them more productive, but for a lot of them, they are not sure how. Which is why I am really excited that today we are announcing our commitment to training 1million people across top Saharan Africa with digital skills in one year,” she said.

    In realising this commitment, Google, a content aggregator is supporting its partner, Livity Africa, to run two training programs: ‘Digify Bytes’ to give digital skills to young people looking to develop a digital career; and ‘Digify Pro’, a 3-month immersion program for digital specialists.

    In his remarks, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google Communications and PR Manager, West Africa, noted that the tech company is committed to providing digital opportunities and encouraging business startups for the continent and across the world.

    According to him, a group of 65 volunteer Googlers from around the world are helping the team with content development, ‘training the trainers’ and, in some cases, delivering the training sessions.

    To achieve this feat, the global search engine launched Digify Africa, an online-learning portal that will house a range of digital skills courses, available to anyone in Africa – free. The courses are designed to be as “light” as possible so they don’t eat up valuable data and intending learners can even learn from any Smartphone.

    In general, there are nine training courses already available and Google aims to have 50 available by July. These programs have already launched in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, and will be scaled to reach more people in the next 12 months.

    [news_box style=”2″ display=”tag” link_target=”_blank” tag=”Google” orderby=”popular” count=”8″ show_more=”on” show_more_type=”link” header_background=”#d66231″ header_text_color=”#000000″]

  • OAPs recount experiences on YouTube

    OAPs recount experiences on YouTube

    •As platform marks 10 years of video sharing

    It was a night of glamour as YouTube hosted top Nigerian YouTube content creators at a dinner to mark 10 years of its video sharing experiences.

    The event, which took place at the Intercontinental Hotel and Resort on Victoria Island, Lagos, had the likes of Olisa Adibua, Toke Makinwa and Ariyike Akinbobola among others in attendance.

    Speaking at the event, Adibua, a veteran broadcaster recounted how he got inspired while growing up in the United Kingdom and how he got a contract job with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA 5) at the age of 17 when he arrived Nigeria.

    He further noted that he contributed to the success stories of many Nigerian artistes, naming popular musicians like Eldee, StyPlus, D-Banj among those he helped to boost their careers, especially through Big Brother Nigeria.

    The co-founder of Storm Records and one of the brains behind Big Brother Nigeria however, advised younger on-air-personalities (OAP) on how to excel on the job.

    He said: “When you are on radio for instance, you have an instant power. I’ve several times paid fines to the National Broadcasting Commission. But why do I have to pay this much to them, when they are richer than me.

    “I tell young people to read a lot, because not reading wide is their problem. They don’t read. They believe presentation is just all about sitting in front of the camera. If you must succeed in this business especially in the global scale, you have to read about different things going on within your locality and around the world.

    “If you want to interview a person, it is just wise for you to do a background check about the person. So you need to read to be ahead of your interviewee.”

    For Toke Makinwa of TokeMoment, her passion for what she does has been the backbone of her continuity.

    On TokeMoment, she runs a regular monologue on everything from self-improvement to relationship issues in a loose and funny manner.

    “When I started out on YouTube, I was not aware of the financial benefits of using YouTube. I would just upload videos and be happy that they get good number of views. It was much later in 2013 that I got to know that I could monetize my contents to earn money.

    “I find joy when I run into ladies at shopping malls outside the country and they identify me and can easily relate their issues with me. It gives me a lot of joy. You know, usually, people like to talk to someone who does not know them about the issues, TokeMoment has filled that space.

    “Uploading a new video every Wednesday has not been easy for me but I also know that the key thing about YouTube is consistence and I have kept at it. I must confess that YouTube has been a huge source of blessing to my life,” she recounted.

    Meanwhile, for Akinbobola, lawyer and mother of two, YouTube is an avenue for people to gather a lot of experiences and remain loyal to who they are.

    “On YouTube, I talk about relationship dynamics. I have in the past done videos on YouTube on how to spy on your nannies; I have also done videos on parenting,” she said.”But you know what, the views I get on my channel aren’t up to 5, 000. But when I don’t box myself, and do freestyle videos, amazingly, I get over 100,000 views.”

    Akinbobola, who does videos on sex and relationship, further said that her contents had been greeted with stream of criticisms, stressing: “Well, my channel is not for babies, but for adults.

    “Most times when I talk about sex, people tend to look at me as ifý it’s a no-go-area, but as a married woman, this is something I do, even, people who are not married do this. So, why do we shy away discussing it?”

    Speaking on the event, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, West Africa Communication and Public Affairs Manager said the event was aimed at leveraging the 10th anniversary of YouTube to spotlight Nigerians who in spite of all odds are constantly sharing content, and by so doing, are building their own fan bases.

    He said, “There are now more than one million channels earning revenue through the YouTube Partnership Program, in more than 30 countries, and it’s exciting to see more Partners coming on board in Nigeria too. Globally, partner revenue across YouTube has increased by 60% over the past year and partner revenue from mobile ad sales has tripled.”

    It will be recalled that in 2014, YouTube views in Nigeria increased by 78%, while views of Nigerian content increased by 95% – a testament of the role YouTube is playing in the export of Nigerian content.

    The video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States has become the go-to destination for video footage on the web.  The volume of content unites people from all walks of life through video.

    The night tagged: “YouTube & the Stars event” also had YouTube content group creators like Naija’s Craziest and TechCityNG.