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FG Inaugurates Committee on Proposed ICT University of Nigeria
The Federal Government yesterday in Abuja inaugurated an implementation committee to facilitate the establishment of the proposed Information Communication Technology (ICT) University of Nigeria.
Mr Adebayo Shittu, minister of Communications said the committee, which has former Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof. Julius Okogie as Chairman, has six weeks to produce its report.
Shittu said that the members of the committee were carefully selected comprising men and women who had made their marks in ICT development in the country and pledged the ministry’s support for the assignment.
The minister said that as demand for ICT products and services in the country increased rapidly with the emergence of a digital economy, the demand for ICT skills was expected to also grow exponentially.
He said that there was, therefore, need for capacity of ICT education in Nigeria to be strengthened by people who were well grounded in the field to provide the required skills.
“The linkage between the academia and industry as a result of the establishment of the university will not only lead to constant improvement of the curriculum but also drive innovation through joint research and development programmes.
“Research and development, human capacity building are key focal areas critical for the full development and harnessing of ICT toward fast-tracking socio-economic progress in Nigeria.
“Research and Development propels innovation while human capacity building helps to equip the people with necessary skills and literacy to innovate and use ICT for further development.’’
Shittu said in the past, researches had been carried out without recourse to the relevant industries.
He said that consequently, many outcomes of such researches had remained in the laboratories and not in the industry where they would have been exploited.
“The university will offer variety of programmes aimed at providing specialist knowledge and expertise required for a professional career in the broad field of Information Communication Technology.
“In fields such as Telecommunications, Internet of Things, cyber security, robotic, embedded systems, computer forensics, digital media and entertainment technology.
“The university will also be expected to offer skills development programmes in emerging and transformation technologies such as Cloud Computing and Big Data,’’ the minister said.
Shittu said it was expected that each of the six campuses of the present Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) would be transformed into a centre of technological excellence in specific areas of ICT.
He said that teaching experience in the new university would include a blend of theory, analysis, innovation and hands-on activities such as project-based learning and live industry-led projects.
In his remarks, Okojie said the project was a laudable one, noting that Nigeria was far behind technologically.
He said that there was that need to join the rest of the world to get on board the technological train.
The chairman said that members of the implementation committee were already aware of the challenges of the gap in the digital divide and promised that the report would be delivered shortly.
In his goodwill remark, Mr Yusuf Kazauri, the Director-General of Galaxy Backbone, an agency under the Ministry, said the establishment of the university would herald a new era in the country’s development.
He said that ICT was an important catalyst to attain economic advancement for nations of the world.
“In today’s world, without a good knowledge of ICT, it will be impossible to attain the desired height, especially with Nigeria’s youthful population.’’
Members of the committee were drawn from both the private and public sectors and other stakeholders in the industry.
The university will be the first of its kind in Africa but not the first in the world.
Some of such institutions around the globe include the Multimedia University of Malaysia; IT University of Gutenberg, Sweden; IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Nigeria has launched an emergency response centre after recording 190 deaths from Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic illness, according to Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
The disease, mainly transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or excrement, has infected 1,154 people in six Nigerian states.
Jide Idris, head, Nigerian Center for Disease Control, said the agency’s risk assessment has categorized it as high, prompting the activation of the emergency Operations Centre to manage the outbreak.
“While the disease occurs throughout the year, peak transmission typically happens between October and May, coinciding with the dry season when human exposure to rodents increases,” he said at a press briefing in Abuja.
The centre will ensure seamless coordination of the control and management of the outbreak.
Symptoms of the virus – which can also be passed between people through bodily fluids of those infected – include fever, headaches and, in the most severe cases, death.
The World Health Organization classifies Lassa fever as a priority disease due to its epidemic potential and lack of approved vaccines.
Federal government has proposed to spend N1.5bn for internet services for passengers at five international airports in the country.
The project, “Provision/Upgrade of WiFi Services for Passengers in Five International Airports and some Domestic Airports” was listed as a new project in the 2025 appropriation.
In some parts of the world, access to the internet via Wi-Fi at airports is regarded to be a basic human right.
Such amenities are lacking in Nigeria.
But the 2025 budget presented to the National Assembly last week by President Bola Tinubu saw the sum of N105.953,496,365 being allocated to the Ministry of Aviation.
Apart from internet access at the airports, some other capital allocations were reinstated for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
In previous budgets, three agencies of the ministry including the apex regulatory agency, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and NAMA were exempted from the annual budgetary allocation.
In addition, the federal government deducts 50 per cent of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), which is against the standard and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which recommends that the funds generated by the agencies should be reinvested into improving infrastructure and boosting aviation safety.
Fidelis Egueke, former bank manager, , has been convicted and sentenced to six months in prison by an Asaba, Delta State Chief Magistrate’s Court for defrauding a victim of $46,900.
Chief Magistrate Callistus Isioma Moeteke found Egueke guilty of a single charge brought against him by the police under case number CMA/295c/2024.
Raphael Eze, prosecutor, of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Asaba, said Egueke, a former Asaba branch manager of a tier-one bank, fraudulently obtained $46,900 by using two Certificates of Occupancy (CofOs) as collateral.
One of the land titles, however, was not his, and the other was fake.
After receiving the money, Egueke used it for personal expenses and failed to repay the victim as promised.
The prosecution argued that Egueke’s actions violated Section 419 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C21, Vol.1 Laws of Delta State, Nigeria, 2006.
Despite denying the offence, Egueke failed to present evidence of repayment during the trial.
Chief Magistrate Moeteke determined that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Egueke was convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment.
However, the court also gave him the option to pay a fine of N350,000 in lieu of serving the prison term.
The court ordered Egueke to pay N30 million in restitution to the victim within six months of his conviction.
The charge against Egueke stated that, in 2016, he fraudulently obtained a credit facility worth $46,900 (approximately N60 million) from Chief Jude Ndudi by presenting false documents, including land titles that did not belong to him, in violation of Section 419 of the Criminal Code Law.
Egueke is also facing trial before a Lagos Federal High Court on charges related to a separate fraud case involving N179.498 million.
He is being prosecuted by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (ForceCID), Annex Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos.
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