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9mobile Launches Code Lagos Centre at Rabiatu Thompson Primary School
9mobile, Nigeria’s most innovative and customer-friendly telecommunications company, has launched a coding centre at one of its adopted schools, Rabiatu Thompson Primary School, Surulere, Lagos, as part of the Code Lagos initiative of the Lagos State Government.
Code Lagos, which seeks to teach at least one million Lagos residents to code by 2019, has 9mobile as one of its key partners, with the telecommunications firm setting up coding centres at its adopted schools.
Speaking at the launch, Oluseyi Osunsedo, acting director, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, 9mobile, said the telco’s partnership with the Lagos State Government on Code Lagos was borne out of its commitment to education and the empowerment of young Nigerians to succeed in the digital age.
Osunsedo said, “As a company committed to promoting academic excellence, 9mobile has introduced a number of initiatives that contribute to sustainable development in Nigeria. One of such initiatives is our Adopt-A-School programme, through which we have adopted four schools for life, and are driving the delivery of qualitative primary and secondary education, in partnership with respective state governments.
“In sustaining our commitment, we have collaborated with the Lagos State Government, on the laudable Code Lagos initiative, and today we are launching a fully equipped coding centre at Rabiatu Thompson Primary School.
Osunsedo added further that “The present and even more so the future will be ruled by technology; artificial intelligence presently plays a major role in modern day living and with the technological advancements that have been made, we believe that our children should be exposed and empowered not just to participate, but to compete in the digital evolution space.”
Whilst encouraging the students to maximally utilize the coding centre, Osunsedo expressed the hope that in another 10-15 years, the school would have produced some of the ICT gurus that will create phenomenal programs that add value to life.”
Mrs. Ronke Soyombo, director-general, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State Ministry of Education, who represented Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh, special adviser on Education, at the launch, stated that the state government was strongly committed to Code Lagos, and thanked 9mobile for its unrelenting support for the initiative.
Soyombo said, “Lagos State Government aims at making coding education framework accessible to every student in Lagos State by encouraging the private sector to key into this new initiative, as the state would continue to create an enabling environment conducive for investment.
“Code Lagos centres have continually been established across Education Districts in Lagos State, public libraries and other community spaces, to drive the mega-city dream that will generate employment and business opportunities; and qualified candidates must be available to take advantage of all the available opportunities.
Mrs. Mercy Ejindu, head Teacher of Rabiatu Thompson Primary School, expressed profound gratitude to 9mobile for its support for the school and for setting up the coding centre.
“We are very grateful to 9mobile. Since 9mobile adopted this school, they’ve supported us in many ways and now they have set up this coding centre that will help our pupils to learn and be in tune with current trends, especially in digital technology,” Ejindu said.
9mobile had also supported in the setting up a coding centre and ICT laboratory at two of its other adopted schools in Lagos, Akande Dahunsi Memorial Senior and Junior High Schools in Ikoyi.
Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has awarded a total of N13 million in grants to three standout tech startups at the 2025 Techpreneur Summit held in Lagos, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and inclusive growth among Nigeria’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The winners include: BuyScrap, a digital marketplace for recyclable materials – N6 million; Qiqi Farms, which connects local farmers to hospitality and export markets – N4 million; Eco-Cyclers, a youth-led recycling initiative based in Enugu – N3 million
Alongside the grant awards, DBN also launched a new digital data asset, a first-of-its-kind platform aimed at enabling data-driven decisions within the MSME ecosystem.
The platform offers deep insights into business trends, sector-specific challenges, and growth opportunities—supporting smarter policymaking and targeted investments.
In his keynote address in Lagos, Tony Okpanachi, managing director/ CEO, DBN, described the event’s theme, “CTRL + SHIFT: Tech Empowered Movement for Naija,” as a strategic call to reimagine enterprise development in Nigeria.
“This isn’t just a keyboard shortcut,” he said. “It’s a mindset reset—powered by technology—to build a more inclusive, innovative, and resilient business landscape. From financing to innovation, DBN remains committed to enabling MSMEs to thrive.”
Okpanachi emphasized that the Summit aligns with DBN’s AMPLIFI Strategy, which integrates digital transformation, sustainability, and scalability into its core programs.
He highlighted initiatives such as the Digital Shift Workshops and the Eco-Innovation Challenge as key steps toward embedding innovation in Nigeria’s MSME sector.
Encouraging young innovators, he added: “The future belongs to those bold enough to imagine and build it. DBN is proud to support the ideas that will shape tomorrow.”
A major highlight was the unveiling of the DBN Data Asset—a digital platform designed to provide real-time, evidence-based insights into Nigeria’s MSME landscape.
The platform combines DBN’s proprietary data with external sources like the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to offer a comprehensive view of MSME performance by region and sector.
Jeremy Dan Okayi, DBN’s Head of Strategy, Policy & Innovation, described the platform as: “A reservoir of insight, potential, and direction—built on two years of collaboration and shared vision. This tool will support informed decision-making across the public and private sectors.”
News
FCCPC Shuts France, Belgium, and Italy Visa Centres in Abuja Over Alleged Consumer Rights Violations
In a bold enforcement action, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), supported by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has sealed off the visa application centres of France, Belgium, and Italy in Abuja over alleged consumer protection breaches and obstruction of regulatory investigations.
The affected centres—located at Mukhtar El-Yakub House in the Central Business District and operated by TLS Contact, a Teleperformance Company—were shut down following reports that they refused to accept formal correspondence from the FCCPC regarding a consumer complaint. The Commission cited further infractions, including obstruction of investigation and alleged assault of its officers during lawful duties.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, Mrs. Boladale Adeyinka, Director of Surveillance and Investigations at the FCCPC, explained: “This is an enforcement operation against TLS. On March 25, 2025, we served them a letter to address a consumer complaint, which they refused to accept. Instead, TLS officers assaulted our team, and in a subsequent visit on June 17, they also allegedly assaulted uniformed police officers.”
Citing Section 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), Mrs. Adeyinka emphasized that failure to comply with Commission directives constitutes a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment, fines of up to ₦20 million, or both.
TLS has been ordered to appear before the Commission on June 20, 2025, to provide testimony, submit evidence, and make formal depositions. The company may be held liable for any financial losses suffered by applicants due to the disruption of visa services.
Despite multiple requests for comment, management at TLS Contact declined to respond as of press time.
Adedapo Segun, chief financial officer (CFO), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), has explained why there is a missing sum of N210 trillion in the company’s audited financial statement spanning from 2017 to 2023.
According to Segun, the missing funds are cash calls requested by joint venture (JV) partners and settlement to the JVs.
He spokeat a session of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Aliyu Wadada.
Segun was responding to an alarm raised by the committee over missing N210 trillion in NNPCL’s audited financial statement.
Recall that Wadada issued a one-week ultimatum to NNPCL to account for the missing N210 trillion.
Reacting, Segun said, “The N103 trillion and N107 trillion are made up of joint venture cash calls that have been requested by the JV operators and JV cash call payments made by NNPCL, which are yet to be reconciled because governance procedures were not done at that time.
“That is why you see the description reflecting those two items would be washed out because they are two sides of the same transaction, which is the cash calls by JV partners and the settlement by NNPCL.”
However, Habu Sadeik, a financial analyst, in a post on X on Thursday, said Segun’s response was unsatisfactory.
Saidik faulted NNPCL’s response about the fund discrepancies, noting that something is not right with the audited financial statement.
“Forget about the senators’ lack of knowledge.
“The CFO’s response is not satisfactory. Are you saying that cash calls worth hundreds of trillions are just appearing on your FS only in 2024 without 31 disclosure?
“If it’s a cash call, why hasn’t the disclosure said so?
“Which cash call is over 100 trillion?
“Something is definitely not right, and I hope they retrospectively correct that FS.
“Someone somewhere did a chef’s work,” he wrote on X.
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