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Raji Takes over as NBTI Boss, Pledges to Drive Technological Growth
Dr. Kazeem Kolawole Raji, director general, National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), has promised to engage in the empowerment of youths in digital and technological innovations for the nation’s economic growth.
Raji, who stated this when he officially took over the mantle of leadership from immediate past director general, in Abuja, explained that the Board remained an economic base in which the Gross Domestic Product, GDP, of the country could be grown.
He said, “Presently, what we are doing is electromechanical. And I’m bringing new initiatives on emerging technologies. Because when you talk about technology today, you talk about AI, that’s artificial intelligence. You talk about nanotechnology. You talk about blockchain technology. And if you look at what is happening today in Nigeria, you see that a lot of our youths, if you tap their brains, they can become useful to this country and to themselves, rather than engaging in nefarious activities.
“And most importantly, we are a knowledge-based economy where the frontier, top-level elites of most Nigerian youth can be put into place and help drive the economic base of Nigeria, grow our economy, and increase our GDP.”
The director general pointed out that the Board had offices in all 36 states of the Federation and 15 extensions in some states and would ensure grassroots technological advancement.
“First and foremost, let me thank His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for appointing me as the new Director General and CEO of the National Board for Technology Incubation, Abuja. Presently, we have offices in 36 states of the Federation and 15 extensions in other states. That means if you add 36 plus 15, you’d have around 51 centers.”
“These centers are meant to advance technological innovation and skillsets for our youth to enjoy. If you look at it presently, MBTI is tasked with establishing and managing technology incubation centers in Nigeria. And the skillset of most of our youth in Nigeria today shows that many come up with a lot of innovations.”
“Just like very recently, last month in January, in Nigeria, an incubatee of MBTI, Mr. AbdulLateef Olaosebikan, won $1 million in a keenly contested competition in Abu Dhabi. He called that prize the Zaihe Sustainable Prize Award, and he won it in the food category.”
“He competed with 5,980 other applicants from all over the world. That is to show you the kind of skillset in Nigerian youth. And that’s part of the reason why, when Mr. President said he’s going to draw water from the dry well, it means technology. Because the only way you can draw water from a dry well is through technology. And that technology is what I’m here to drive,” he stressed.
On the proper packaging of products, Raji stated that a memorandum of understanding had already been signed with the Kwara State Government in that regard.
“Just last week, I was in Kwara State to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Kwara State government with our incubatees and post-incubatees. One of the things I discovered there is about packaging and how we can package our products so that they can rival international products.”
“Presently, we are engaging with NAFDAC and the Standard Organization of Nigeria to achieve that kind of product quality. Because part of the mandate of MBTI is to commercialize the research products coming out of our incubatees and the National Board for Technology Incubation.”
“So, I can assure you, with the caliber of people at the Standard Organization of Nigeria and NAFDAC, partnering with them, by next week or so, we’ll be engaging with them officially on how we can work together to help our entrepreneurs package their products well in view of international standards.”
“You don’t have to go somewhere else to look for any product. If you see the kind of products coming out of Kwara State, you will marvel. Just very recently, someone came up with the idea of a trytractor.”
“And the trytractor, if you see the kind of output coming from this trytractor, if you help this person commercialize this product, imagine Nigeria as an agrarian nation and how we can make use of this. We won’t need to go outside and import tractors again if we develop our own local entrepreneurs. That is the reason why I’ve always been advocating, even while I was Executive Director at Nigerian Communications Satellite, that Executive Orders 003 and 005 on ICT local content should become an Act of Parliament.”
“It’s not just an Executive Order alone. They need to become an Act of Parliament so that if they become law, Nigerians will embrace our own local technology. We won’t have to go outside to rely on foreign technology.”
“And if you are working on your own local technology, you will be assured that capital flight will become a thing of the past, and we can shore up our foreign reserves and address the fluctuation of the Naira and Exchange Rates today in Nigeria,” Raji further explained.
Earlier, Dr. Chukwu, the immediate past director general of NBTI, said deliberate efforts were made for grassroots development.
“NBTI is an agency that spans the whole nation, and there is a grassroots project that, at the end of the day, if we put in our best, people will be able to benefit from the dividend of democracy. Thank you very much.”
“I am here this morning to start the handing over process, and usually, in the handing over, I’m expected to have inputs from departments, units, zonal offices, and centers to ensure that the handing-over note is comprehensive enough for the incoming DG, CEO.”
“So, on my part, I’ve been able to do a template that will guide the departments, the heads of units, zonal directors, and center managers to submit their inputs. That was what even delayed me a bit. Though I have it in soft copy, for the departments and others, I will give them a hard copy here.”
“Let me also use this opportunity to welcome my brother to the National Board for Technology Incubation. National Board for Technology Incubation is an agency that cuts across the whole nation, and there is a grassroots project that, at the end of the day, if we are able to put in our best, our people will also be able to benefit from the dividend of democracy. Thank you very much,” Chukwu said.
The Senate on Tuesday deplored what it described as violations of the principles of federal character in the appointments, recruitments and promotions in some key federal institutions and agencies.
Specifically, the upper legislative chamber fingered the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Pension Commission (PENCOM), the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and several other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as culprits.
The matter was a subject of debate at plenary as Senator Osita Ngwu called the Senate’s attention to the alleged violations through a motion.
Ngwu’s motion, entitled “Urgent Need to Address Systemic Abuse and Ineffective Implementation of the Federal Character Principle in Nigeria’s Public Sector,” got the attention of the lawmakers.
Ngwu, who led the debate, cited Sections 14(3) and 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which explicitly prohibit the dominance of individuals from a few states or ethnic groups in federal institutions.
He observed that while recruitment opportunities are limited, promotions are often based solely on years of service rather than merit, leading to the continued marginalisation of certain regions.
According to him, the lack of accountability in enforcing federal character principles has compromised fairness in the public sector, with senior-level recruitments often influenced by cronyism instead of competence.
Ngwu further observed that while the federal capital principle aims to balance merit with equitable state representation, its poor implementation has negatively affected discipline, morale, and institutional efficiency.
According to him, “The federal character principle, entrenched in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, mandates fair representation in federal appointments to reflect the linguistic, ethnic, religious, and geographic diversity of the nation.”
He continued, “Section 14(3) and (4) of the Constitution unequivocally stipulate that ‘no predominance of persons from a few states or a few ethnic or sectional groups’ should exist within the federal government or its agencies.”
Ngwu listed the NNPCL and its subsidiaries, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), PENCOM, NDIC, the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), the National Library of Nigeria (NLN), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) as non comliant entities.
He accused them of consistently failing to adhere to federal character Mandates, and often bypassing regulations in their recruitment exercises.
Ngwu warned that unchecked violations of federal character laws would continue to erode the effectiveness of key legislative provisions.
He listed the affected legislative provions to include Section 14(d) & (e) of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2017, Part I(1)-(2) of the Subsidiary Legislation 23 of 1997, and Section 11(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
He also raised concerns about the lack of independence of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).
Ngwu observed that despite the Commission’s constitutional mandate, it remains weakened by underfunding, political interference, and a lack of enforcement power.
While approving the probe of the affected entities, the Senate directed its Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs to conduct investigative hearings into their activities.
The committee is expected to submit its findings within four weeks.
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four bank employees over their alleged involvement in a sophisticated fraud and money laundering scheme that diverted over £138,924 (more than ₦270 million) from international airline accounts.
CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, command’s spokesperson, disclosed the arrests on Monday during a press briefing at the state police headquarters in Ikeja.
According to CSP Hundeyin, “The suspects conspired to siphon funds from domiciliary accounts into personal accounts before redistributing them to multiple destinations.
“The fraud was uncovered when the affected bank detected unauthorized transactions and alerted the police.”
Explaining further, the spokesperson said: “Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of the following suspects: Oluwatobiloba Olaleye, male, aged 27, was arrested on March 12, 2025, in Ogun State. A Toyota Camry 2012/2013, suspected to be a proceed of the crime, was recovered from him.
Oladunjoye Adegoke, male, aged 33, was arrested on March 13, 2025, in Victoria Island, Lagos. A Toyota Camry (Pencil Light), suspected to be another proceed of the stolen funds, was also recovered.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Austin Alfred, male, aged 38, the Supervisor of the Trade Services Department, and Jude Uzobuaku, male, aged 36, a processor in the same department. Both facilitated the illegal transfer of funds to foreign accounts.”
Police investigations revealed that the stolen funds were initially funneled into an account belonging to one of the suspects before being transferred to multiple other accounts, making it harder to trace. Authorities are now working to track down additional accomplices and recover the remaining funds.
“The suspects are in custody and will face prosecution as the investigation continues,” CSP Hundeyin stated.
Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has announced a $15 million grant to support 3,000 budding entrepreneurs from 52 African countries.
Tony Elumelu, founder, TEF, made this known on Sunday in Abuja during the unveiling of the 2025 cohort of the foundation’s Entrepreneurship Programme.
He stated that each beneficiary would receive a $5,000 seed grant to kick-start their businesses.
Elumelu, who is also chairman of Heirs Holdings, Transcorp, and United Bank for Africa (UBA), reaffirmed his commitment to empowering African entrepreneurs and transforming the continent’s economic landscape.
According to Elumelu, the foundation aims to democratise opportunity across the continent, fostering economic growth and providing young Africans with access to funding and mentorship.
“We had a vision that started in 2010; one that envisions a self-sustaining Africa, driven by the energy, vision, and resilience of young entrepreneurs.
“We understand the challenges they face in contributing to Africa’s economic transformation.
“If empowered and encouraged, these young Africans can drive meaningful change,” he said.
He noted that capital alone was not enough, highlighting the importance of business education, mentorship, and training in building successful entrepreneurs.
The entrepreneurship programme, which began in 2015, originally set out to economically empower 10,000 young Africans over 10 years, each receiving $5,000 in seed capital.
“This year marks the 15th anniversary of the foundation, and we have made a considerable impact across all 54 African countries.
“In the 21st century, Africa does not need aid; what it needs is investment in its youth,” Elumelu said.
Somachi Chris-Asoluka, chief executive officer (CEO), TEF, noted that since the programme’s launch in 2015, the foundation had.disbursed over $100 million to more than 21,000 young entrepreneurs across Africa.
According to Chris-Asoluka, these businesses have collectively created 1.5 million enterprises, and generated $4.5 billion in revenue.
“Our entrepreneurs have demonstrated that ideas are the lifeblood of the African continent.
“For the 2025 cohort, we received over 200,000 applications, and from this pool, 3,000 entrepreneurs from 52 African countries will receive $15 million in funding.
“Each entrepreneur will receive a $5,000 non-refundable seed grant; this is neither a loan nor equity,” she stated.
She further assured that the foundation had a monitoring and evaluation platform in place to track progress after disbursement, ensuring that beneficiaries adhered to their approved business plans.
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