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NITDA, NYSC collaborate to boost awareness, adoption of technology
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have announced plans to collaborate to boost awareness and adoption of technology amongst Nigerian youths.
The Director-General of the NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi who expressed the Agency’s willingness to collaborate with the Corps during a courtesy call by the team led by the Director-General of the NYSC, Brig Gen.Yushau Dogara Ahmed reiterated the fact that NITDA being the bedrock in scaling awareness and adoption of Emerging Technologies will be more than willing to go the extra mile in fine-tuning the already existing collaboration towards moving the nation forward.
“We are looking at positioning Nigeria to become the global talent factory and to do that, your agency is critical because all graduates pass through your Organisation”.
“If we can collaborate, we can use that one year they would spend serving the nation to change their lives”, the DG noted.
While stating that the fastest way to make the country join the league of developed nations would not be through the traditional way adopted by Asian countries for which they spent nothing less than fifty years to attain the status they are today, Inuwa said Nigeria would have to be creative in its industrialisation quest.
The DG said that the shortcut to upping the ante remains the talent route, stressing that more that 55% of the country’s GDP is based on Services.
He further explained that “there is a global talent shortage and if Nigeria can position itself by training people and conveniently providing 2 Million developers in two years it can earn about $40B from the pool of 2Million developers, which will invariably also help address the Agency’s remittance challenge as well.
“Looking at the fact that Nigeria can be the talent hub of the world, given its competitive advantage to close the gap, we have identified your Organization as a key partner, if we must achieve the projections”, Inuwa affirmed.
Inuwa told his guests that the Agency had since started implementing some of the initiatives, like training One Million Developers in 2022 which some of the Youth Corps Members were beneficiaries.
“I am hoping that our collaboration will not only bring young Nigerians together to be trained on how to build mobile applications and systems but will also connect them to opportunities”.
“We are strategising on how to expand the training to other States as we plan to pilot it in the six geopolitical zones but if we can work together with you, it will much easier for us to get the talents because you have graduates”, the Director-General avowed
According to the NITDA Boss, a total of about One Hundred and Twenty-four youths are trained and graduated every month from the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, adding that, although this is the basic training, there are other categories, including intermediary and advance.
He assured the team from the NYSC that NITDA is interested in going beyond granting their request by collaborating to ensure that interested Corp Members are trained to become advance developers.
The National Director, National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), Engr Ya’u Garba took the visiting team through the workings and prospects of the Centre as he highlighted the different programmes intended to scale awareness and adoption of Emerging Technologies.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig Gen.Yushau Dogara Ahmed in his brief said the purpose of the courtesy call was to appreciate NITDA’s performance generally and the existing collaboration between the Corp and the Agency over the years which he noted have been laudable, especially with the provision of Digital Economy Centres at NYSC Camps across some states.
Ahmed said the gesture has gone a long way in providing Information Technology (IT) support to the Organisation’s State Secretariat and the Scheme in general.
“I want to use this opportunity to solicit for NITDA’s support in assisting NYSC with some Information Technology (IT) equipment for the smooth take off our our newly constructed Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre in our National Directorate Headquarters”, Ahmed said.
According to the NYSC DG, the Corp has had an ICT Centre at Area 1, Garki, Abuja but it became necessary to erect a bigger ICT Centre which he added stands at 90% completion.
Ahmed assured DG NITDA and his management team that NYSC as a Scheme will continue to support the Agency in its set target of achieving 95% digital literacy by 2030.
News
Ogun Assembly passes Assembly Commission Amendment bill
The Ogun House of Assembly on Wednesday passed the State House of Assembly Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
The passage of the bill followed presentation of the Committee’s report by the Chairman, House Committee on Establishments and Public Service Matters, Mr Babatunde Tella at plenary in Abeokuta.
Tella moved the motion for its adoption, seconded by Mr Adeyanju Adegoke and supported by all the members.
The bill was later read and adopted clause by clause before the Committee of Whole.
The Majority Leader, Mr Yusuf Sheriff, moved the motion for the third reading of the bill, seconded by the Minority Leader, Mr Lukmon Adeleye and supported by the Whole House through a unanimous voice vote.
Consequently, the Deputy Clerk of the House, Mrs Funmilayo Adeyemi, took the third reading of the bill before the lawmakers.
The Speaker, Mr Oludaisi Elemide, directed that the clean copy of the bill be forwarded to Gov. Dapo Abiodun for his assent.
News
Abuja court gives EFCC go-ahead to arrest ex-Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello
A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, ordered that a warrant be issued to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for immediate arrest of former Governor of Kogi, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling on EFCC’s ex-parte motion, held that after listening to the submission of commission’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, and reading the affidavit in support of the motion, including the exhibits and written address, he was inclined to grant the application.
It was earlier reported that a High Court sitting in Lokoja on Wednesday, restrained the EFCC from arresting, detaining and prosecuting Bello
Justice I.A Jamil, who gave the order in a two-hour judgment delivered in suit no HCL/68/M/2020, held that infringing on Bello’s “fundamental human rights is null and void.”
The judge, who dismissed the commission’s application challenging the jurisdiction of the court, said: “By this order, the EFCC is hereby restrained from arresting, detaining and prosecuting the applicant.
“This is a definite order following the earlier interim injunction given.”
However, in a ruling delivered by Justice Nwite on Wednesday, the judge ordered that a warrant be issued to the commission for Bello’s immediate arrest.
He also directed that the former governor be produced before the court on April 18 for arraignment.
“It is hereby ordered as follows:
“That an order of this honourable court is hereby made directing and/or issuing a warrant for the immediate arrest of the defendant for the purpose of bringing him before this honourable court for arraignment.
“That case is adjourned to 18th day of April, 2024 for arraignment,” he declared.
NAN reports that the EFCC, in the motion ex-parte marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/98/2024 dated April 16 and filed April 17, sought six orders.
These include “an order granting leave to the complainant/applicant to effect service of the charge together with the proof of evidence on the defendant by substituted means to wit; by pasting the charge at the last known address of the defendant within the jurisdiction of this honourable court being: 9, Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.
“An order directing and/or issuing an arrest warrant for the immediate arrest of the defendant for the purpose of bringing him before this honourable court for arraignment.”
In the alternative, the anti-graft agency sought an order issuing and directing the publishing of a public summons requiring/ commanding the defendant to appear before the court on a named date, among others.
The conflicting orders came after the EFCC had appealed against the initial order, and the appeal was scheduled for hearing on April 22 in Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/175/2024 between EFCC and Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
The Yahaya Bello Media Office had, in a statement signed by Onogwu Mohammed, alerted the nation to a siege on the former Governor’s Abuja residence.
News
Zulum approves N1.3bn scholarship for 997 nursing, midwifery students
Gov. Babagana Zulum, of Borno has approved the release of N1.3billion as scholarship for 997 nursing and midwifery students from the state.
Zulum stated this on Wednesday while inaugurating the scholarship programme at the College of Nursing and Midwifery, Maiduguri.
He said that out of the 1,080 nominations, 40 from each of the 27 local government areas of the state, 997 qualified to benefit from the scholarship.
He also announced that the 997 beneficiaries of the scholarship would receive automatic employment after graduation.
The governor said that the support was to encourage the students to complete their studies so as to bridge the workforce demand in the state’s healthcare system.
“The government has allocated N1,305,189,000 for scholarship, with a breakdown of N124,149,000 earmarked for tuition fees, the remaining N1,181,040,000 will be disbursed as monthly stipend of N30,000 to each beneficiary throughout their studies,” Zulum said.
He added that N201 million bursary allowance would be given to 2,010 nursing and midwifery students who did not benefited from the scholarship, and directed that each of them should receive N100,000.
Zulum, who stated that ongoing construction of two colleges of nursing would be completed this year, inaugurated a lecture theatre complex and a 3,000-capacity multipurpose hall at the college.
Earlier, Lawan Wakilbe, the Commissioner for Education, said that the government had approved over N6 billion scholarship, out of which about N2.7 billion was disbursed to students from the state studying in higher institutions across the country.
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