Category: General

The Galaxy Backbone (GBB) Limited and the Jigawa Government have enhanced collaboration to boost digital inclusion and infrastructural development in Nigeria.

The Gov. Umar Namadi of Jigawa said this when he paid a courtesy visit to GBB head office on Friday in Abuja.

Speaking to journalists after a tour of the GBB facility, the governor said the state would continue to enhance collaboration with the agency to ensure e-governance, improved revenue generation and Information Technology development in the state.

“Well, you see, there are so many areas we need to collaborate as I said, we have started this, so it is not something new to us.

“We have so many plans that we will want to do, that will help us to improve governance, that will help us to improve our revenue, also to use ICT to improve the livelihood of our people.

“So we have so many areas that we need to collaborate, and we have those areas in detail. Let me assure them they are ready to collaborate with us and ensure we achieve it,” the governor said.

On his part, the Managing Director of GBB, Prof. Muhammad Abubakar, said the cardinal role of the agency was to build formidable digital infrastructures and connectivity for the government.

Abubakar said that GBB was committed to ensuring digital inclusion in Jigawa and 36 states across the federation.

He said GBB pledged to key into Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Dr Bosun Tijani’s agenda to train three million Nigerians on digital inclusion in four years.

“We discussed the kind of service we can render to bring about good governance, enhance revenue generation and digital inclusion in Jigawa state, and we intend to cover the 36 federation.

“We are an infrastructure company of the government, So, our major value proposition is to provide connectivity. We are ready to key into the honourable ministers’ aspiration for the industry,”he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Tijjani, unveiled his strategic blueprint for the industry in early October and disclosed plans to train three million technical talents nationwide in four years.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners of Nigeria (C-ISOWN) , has solicited Federal Government`s support on training and retraining of practitioners to maintain minimum standard and uniform practice.

Dr Iyeme Efem, Immediate Past President of the institute made the call when a delegation from C-ISOWN visited the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation on Friday in Abuja.

He said the visit was to pledge their support and readiness to work collaboratively with the minister to achieve the ministry’s mandate.

Efem appealed to the minister to support it in building capacities of social workers and support the professionalisation of the practice.

“We see this as the panacea to building a strong social work practice in Nigeria and in Africa at large,”he said.

He expressed the institute’s readiness to support the ministry’s programmes to professionalise social work practice and increase the army of professional social workers.

According to him, such collaboration would address the myriad of social ills affecting the country.

He said that the institute provides opportunities for intending social workers, to gain practical field experience through internships or participating in various activities and projects.

According to him, the projects can either be offered by the institute or in partnership with government agencies and international organisations.

Efem said “the organisation has been implementing the USAID/Fistula Projects in Nigeria since 2007.

He said the partnership had provided the project the avenue to introduce various social work skills building opportunities for Nigeria.

“The current USAID/MOMENTUM Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics (MSSFPO), implemented by EngenderHealth provided the institute with a new strategy of rehabilitation and reintegration.

“This strategy fits perfectly with the activities of the ministry. So, we have been very excited to work as partners with the project and the ministry to expand the capacity building of social workers.

“One of the main components is the development of the counseling protocol for implementing rehabilitation and reintegration.

“Another is the development of a compendium of skills building centers in the implementation states.

“We believe that this will be very useful for developing the next generation of social workers who will anchor most of the rehabilitation of women with fistula and social issues,” he said.

He appealed to the minister to sponsor the relevant officers in the ministry, to participate in the special membership and induction programme for senior officers in service to be properly registered.

He informed the minister of the institute upcoming international conference scheduled for Nov. 2 to Nov. 4, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

The minister, Dr Betta Edu assured them of the ministry’s collaboration with the institute to move the issues of humanitarian affairs forward in the country.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Government has solicited the release of 50 hectares of land by state governments to enable it actualise its Renewed Cities Agenda in housing delivery for citizens.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, made this call when the Governor of Taraba, Dr Agbu Kefas, paid him a courtesy visit on Thursday in Abuja.

He said that the present administration’s plan to deliver the Renewed Hope Agenda for housing needed the support of states in the provision of land.

Dangiwa said that under the first phase of the project, government planned to build 34,500 houses nationwide using FMBN, FHA and Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to achieve this.

He said that decent, quality and affordable housing for all Nigerians was a major priority of the government, adding that the ministry was working with the National Population Commission (NPC) to establish the actual housing deficit.

“Our findings in house estimates show that for us to meet the housing needs of Nigerians, we need to build about 550,000 new homes per annum over the next ten years.

“That is the massive size of our housing challenge. At the average cost of N8 million this will require about N4.4 trillion per annum.

“Records show that over the past decades, the Federal Agencies, and the Ministry of Housing combined produce less than 15,000 housing units per year.

“A key reason for this is, of course, the big elephant in the room: inadequate access to finance.

“While this is true, I also believe that we have not been innovative enough in finding solutions to meet the challenge in a bold and audacious manner,” he said.

Dangiwa said the good news, however, was that President Bola Tinubu was a proven game-changer who had demonstrated this in all of his policy announcements.

“So, as we acknowledge the challenge before us, we are not frightened by it. Rather, we see it as a golden opportunity to make a difference in the history of affordable housing in our country.

“Already, we have written letters to be sent to all the state governors seeking about 50 hectares of land for renewed hope cities.

“I’m sure that your Excellency will be kind and gracious enough to honour our request,” he said.

Earlier, the governor said that he had come to pay a solidarity visit and pledged his support to the minister to move the ministry forward.

Kefas said the minister was not alien to Taraba, adding that “it is a good place to invest.”

He, therefore, called for collaboration with the ministry in infrastructure development, especially in housing development.

“One of the things I want to bring to your notice is that you have a property in Jalingo and it has been there empty and nobody has occupied it and we do not want it to waste.

“So, we are requesting that we want to take over that property so that we will able to provide accommodation for our civil servants.

“Also, we are available to offer you any land in Taraba to be able to build anything that will benefit our people.

“We are also aware that the ministry has made provision to build a new Federal Secretariat in Taraba state.

“We are very happy about that initiative and we want to assure you that we are ready to give you our support whenever you are ready,” Kefas said.

He, therefore, urged the minister to ensure that the secretariat was built to accommodate all the state ministries.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

President Bola Tinubu has approved the confirmation of the appointment of Adewale Adeniyi as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service.

Mr Willie Bassey, Director Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation made this known in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja.

According to the statement, the President tasks Adeniyi to bring his wealth of experience to bear on his new assignment.

“The appointment takes effect from Oct. 19 and his tenure is in accordance with the extant provisions of the Public Service Rules (PSR).”

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has called on the Federal Government and security personnel to leverage the power of emerging technologies to address security concerns in the country.

The Giri, Abuja branch of the society made the call on Wednesday at their 8th conference, annual general meeting and presentation of awards.

The theme of the conference was “Emerging Technologies: A Panacea for Tackling Insecurity in Nigeria’’

Dr Sadiq Umar, Director, Centre for Satellite Technology Development (CSTD), in his lecture, defined emerging technologies as innovative advancements, tools and scientific discoveries in early stage of development.

Umar said they had the capacity to significantly impact various aspects of the society, industry and daily life.

He said that emerging and digital technologies could enhance communication, navigation, provide remote sensing and geospatial intelligence, biometric identification, among others.

Umar identified some of the prospects of emerging technologies in national security as, smart surveillance, data analytics for predictive policing, community policing with technology, border and coastal surveillance.

He recommended that optimising emerging, digital technologies required enhanced cybersecurity capacity which would ensure investment in building cybersecurity capabilities to protect critical infrastructure and data.

“Engage in digital literacy programmes, regulatory frameworks, national, regional and international collaborations, as well as Public-Private Partnerships.

“Nigeria stands at a critical juncture in its security journey and the integration of technology is pivotal in creating a safer and more secure nation,’’ he said.

Chairman of the branch, Dr George Okpanachi, earlier in his welcome address, said science and technology had undergone significant transformations in the 21st century.

According to Okpanachi, the rapid growth of science in this century has given rise to a new type of technology known as emerging technology.

“The emerging technology is constantly evolving and is closely linked to previous technologies.

“Today, sophisticated technologies are transforming every aspect of our daily lives and technology has been helping to mitigate security threats through various ways,’’ he said.

Okpanachi listed the technologies as Cyber security, Autonomous Drone Technology, use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to interpret Satellite Images, AI Video Surveillance and Internet of Things connectivity.

Okpanachi added that security personnel do not need to be physically present to deploy most of the digital technologies.

Dr Umar Abdullahi, National Chairman of Nigerian Institution of Space Engineers (NISEng), without undermining conventional security measures, said there was need to align with global approach of addressing security issues.

Abdullahi,also a member of the branch, said that if the country implemented emerging technologies in its security approach, it would be an opportunity for engagements with stakeholders.

“There has to be an interplay of everybody leveraging this technology, we hope the players will come up.

“We hope the government will play the key role in investing in Research and Development, because in as much as we want to use emerging technologies, we want to use indigenous ones.

“When we use indigenous ones, we are growing capacity, we are keeping confidential information at home rather than abroad, the local content perspective is very key,’’ he said.

Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, lamented that the country had lots of unmanned land border areas through which foreigners gain access into the country.

Represented by Air Commodore Gowon Sule, Abubakar said that the only approach to checking those borders was through the use of AI.

According to him, installation of working cameras across cities, will also help check blind spots.

He said that the Nigerian Air Force had always capitalised on capabilities provided by technology and engineering systems to advance the course of national security of the Nigerian Airspace for enhanced protection. (NAN)www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Prof. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Merck Foundation, says improved access to quality and equitable healthcare will foster social stability, individual prosperity and economic growth of nations.

Stangenberg-Haverkamp said this at the 2023, 10th edition of Merck Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary conference, organised in partnership with Tata Memorial Centre, Department of Atomic Energy and India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He noted that the foundation has offered scholarships to African health workers to strengthen the quality of healthcare deliveries to individuals and families across developing countries.

This, he said, would improve overall health and productivity in the continents.

“We are working with African First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Information, Education and Gender, Academia, Policymakers, Medical Societies, Media and Art communities to lead Africa and Asia to a healthier and better future.

“This will not have been possible without the efforts and continuous support and dedication of these stakeholders and we will continue to work closely with them in our full capacity to overcome healthcare and social challenges in the continents.

“Over the years, I have visited many countries and personally met with many of the doctors who received these scholarships, they shared their experiences and the huge impact they have made on their patients and communities, after their graduation.

“I must say that I am impressed by their unwavering dedication and commitments. I will continue visiting and meeting with them in their countries to update myself about the impact of our programmes. Their success stories are inspirational,” he said.

Sen. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, in her address, noted that the foundation has achieved great success in improving and amplifying efforts of health challenges year on year.

“We have come a long way and have together with our partners, made significant impacts by building healthcare and media capacity.

”We are also breaking infertility stigma, empowering women, especially childless women, supporting girl education and raising awareness on a wide range of social and health issues.

“I feel proud to share with you that we have provided more than 1,700 scholarships to young doctors from 50 countries in 42 critical and underserved specialties,” she said.

Kelej listed those critical areas to include Diabetes, Endocrinology, Oncology, Cardiovascular, Fertility Care, Embryology, Sexual and Reproductive Medicine, Internal Medicine, Respiratory Medicine, Acute Medicine, Critical Care, Paediatric Emergency, Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Clinical Psychiatry, Urology, Ophthalmology, general surgery, Trauma and Orthopaedic, Dermatology, Neonatal Care, and Pain Management, Emergency and Resuscitation.

“Others are Laparoscopic Surgical Skills, Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Advanced Surgical Practice, Neuroimaging for Research and many more,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that 11 African First Ladies were among the dignitaries that graced the event. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria