News
Abubakar, Galaxy Backbone MD, Emerges CommunicationsWeek ‘Man of the Year’
Prof. Muhammad Abubakar, managing director, Galaxy Backbone was at this year’s Beacon of ICT Awards held on July 24, 2021 received Nigeria CommunicationsWeek ‘Man of the Year’ award.
According to Ken Nwogbo, managing director, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, organisers of the BoICT Lectur/Awards, “ Prof. Abubakar emerged as our ‘Man of the Year’ through a transparent online voting process opened to stakeholders in ICT where over one million votes were cast and Prof. Abubakar came tops.
“The emergence of Prof. Muhammad Abubakar is a testament of his immersed contributions to the growth and development of information and communications technology since he became the chief executive officer of Galaxy Backbone.
“Under the leadership of Professor Muhammad Abubakar, GBB rose up to the challenge of the time by putting in place virtual interaction platforms to facilitate communication and collaboration in government from the Federal Executive level to intra-MDA levels. Connectivity was provided at the residence of key government officers to ensure seamless interaction during lockdown and movement restrictions required to manage COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
With respect to the operation efficiency of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Abubakar spearheaded many initiatives to drive improvement, promote agility, cut costs, and improve the quality of services. From technical and financial effectiveness to human resources and capability development, a number of initiatives were implemented to better position GBB.
He is also driving many initiatives that will promote collaboration and partnership with all stakeholders which include Government institutions, MDA customers, suppliers and channel partners.
In the first year of Professor Muhammad Abubakar, a lot of historic achievements have been made and a foundation set for growth of the organization to better position it to deliver value in line with its mandate and Government strategic direction and priorities.
To set the direction for Galaxy Backbone for the next five years, the management of Galaxy Backbone under the leadership of Prof. Muhammad Abubakar has developed Galaxy 3.0 – a Strategic Business Plan to set goals to be achieved on annual basis for the next five years.
The Business Plan was underpinned by the mandate of Galaxy Backbone and key strategic policies of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
The Strategic Business plan identifies activities required for GBB to improve in the delivery of its mandate, support the attainment of the objectives of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP), and Nigerian eGovernment Masterplan amongst others.
It also lays down strategy to engage the MDAs to better support the attainment of their mandates while also identifying strategy for collaborating with technology partners to deliver value.
The Business Plan will help Galaxy play its roles in the achievement of the policies of the Government as prioritized and laid down by the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy.
The Plan also focuses on ensuring that critical national ICT infrastructure that Government has invested in is optimized to provide value to Government MDAs, Private Sector players, citizens, and underserved communities whilst also ensuring GBB sweats the assets and makes meaningful return on investments.
The Man Prof. Muhmmad Abubakar
Professor Abubakar has over two decades of working experience spanning the academia, oil and gas exploration research, development and innovation institutions. He is a strategic thinker with strong leadership and management skill. He has an impressive exposure to global best practice in the field of energy. Muhammad is a Professor of Petroleum Geosciences.
Prior to his appointment as MD/CE, he was the Executive Director and a Principal start-up for the establishment and development of the National Centre for Petroleum Research and Development of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, where he spearheaded a cross-cutting edge research that developed the conceptual exploration model deployed in the successful oil and gas exploration in the frontier basin of the Northeast Nigeria. He was also a Research Consultant to NNPC on oil and gas exploration.
Muhammad hails from Gombe State. He is an alumnus of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi (where he obtained B.Tech. in Applied Geology, M.Sc. in Sedimentology/Petroleum Geology and Ph.D. in Sedimentology/Petroleum Geology), German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and was a recipient of several awards that included National University Commission’s (NUC’s) best Ph.D. thesis award in physical sciences from all Nigeria Universities.
He has attended several information and Communication (ICT) training programs including basic Cisco Academy Networking certification, several local and international programs in leadership and strategic management, as well as many sustainable development trainings in the field of energy.
TikTok returned to the U.S. app stores of Apple and Google on Thursday as President Donald Trump delayed a ban on the Chinese-owned social media app and assured the tech giants they would not be fined for distributing or maintaining it.
The popular short video app used by nearly half of all Americans went dark briefly last month, before a law took effect on January 19 that requires its Chinese owner ByteDance either to sell it on national security grounds or face a ban.
The following day, Trump signed an executive order seeking to delay the enforcement of the ban by 75 days, allowing TikTok to continue its operations in the U.S. temporarily.
Although TikTok resumed service after Trump’s assurances, Google and Apple kept the app removed from their U.S. app stores.
TikTok, the second-most downloaded app in the U.S. last year, said on Thursday that its latest app was now available for download.
The delay could have been because Google and Apple were awaiting assurances that they would not be prosecuted for hosting or distributing the app, according to analysts.
Trump’s directive said the companies, which run mobile application stores or digital marketplaces where users can browse, download and update apps, would not face penalties for keeping the TikTok app up and running.
TikTok had more than 52 million downloads in 2024, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
About 52% of its total downloads were from Apple App Store, while 48% were from Google Play in the U.S. last year, Sensor Tower said.
The law that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. assets or ultimately face a ban was signed by then President Joe Biden last April, triggered by national security concerns and fears that China could use the video-sharing app to spy on American users.
The U.S. has never banned a major social media platform and the law that passed last year gives the government sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps. Trump said on Thursday that his 75-day deadline on TikTok could be extended.
The turmoil at TikTok attracted several potential buyers, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, who have expressed interest in the fast-growing business that analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion.
Trump has said that he was in talks with multiple people over TikTok’s purchase and would likely have a decision on the app’s future in February.
Federal government has directed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) operating in states to close their accounts with commercial banks and fully comply with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.
Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, accountant-general of the Federation,
The directive was issued by Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, accountant-general of the Federation, during a working visit to the Federal Pay Office in Benin, Edo State.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Thursday by Bawa Mokwa, director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to the TSA policy, Madein warned that no MDA should operate accounts with commercial banks unless expressly approved by the President and officially communicated by her office.
The statement reads:
“While reiterating the Federal Government’s commitment to the Treasury Single Account policy, the Accountant-General of the Federation urged the Federal Pay Officers to monitor and ensure that Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in the States do not operate any account with the commercial banks or circumvent any provision of the TSA policy.”
She further stressed that any exceptions must follow strict guidelines, requiring presidential approval and formal communication from the Office of the Accountant-General.
Madein also tasked Federal Pay Officers (FPOs) with ensuring compliance, upholding transparency, and maintaining professionalism in their financial operations.
She warned against actions that could undermine the integrity of the Federal Treasury and emphasized the need for accurate financial record-keeping.
As part of ongoing reforms, she revealed that the Federal Government is constructing new Federal Pay Offices in some states to address infrastructure and operational challenges.
She assured that her office remains committed to the welfare of its personnel while enforcing compliance with financial regulations, including the Public Procurement Act and the Constitution.
Her visit to the Benin Federal Pay Office was part of a nationwide tour to assess the operations and challenges of Federal Pay Offices across the country.
National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) is investigating the development of biocatalysts from underutilised bioresources through its Young Researchers Forum (YRF) research group for bioethanol production.
Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, director general, NBRDA sated this in an interview conducted in Abuja on Wednesday
Biocatalysts, which can be either bacteria or enzymes, are biological entities that accelerate chemical reactions.
An alcohol-based fuel derived from renewable resources such as plants and algae is called bioethanol. It can be blended with petrol or used in place of it to cut down on petroleum use.
He asserted that bioethanol is crucial and that Nigeria has the means to fully investigate its possibilities, noting that the production of bioethanol will be helpful in setting up bioethanol plants.
“However, the catalyst for the fermentation of sugar to produce ethanol is what we are after, and we have it locally.
“When we isolate the biocatalyst, it is going to be useful in helping to establish a bioethanol factory, which will function very well due to our varying weather conditions,’’ he said.
Bioethanol has similar uses to fuels used to generate other classes of energy like heat, motor power, transportation, and electricity, the NBRDA chief added.
According to him, bioethanol is the most widely used biofuel in modern civilisation, and the process of turning biomass into bioethanol is receiving a lot of attention.
“Biological energies are renewable fuels with minimal pollution and play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas pollution, and one of them is bioethanol, which is obtained from fermentation operations.
“The world’s attention to the use of bioethanol as an energy source is focused on reducing the cost of production and increasing the efficiency of the ethanol industry.
“By consuming ethanol fuel instead of fossil fuels, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions known to be the cause of global warming will be somehow reduced,’’ Mustapha said.
According to the D-G, the creation of the Young Researchers Forum (YRF) demonstrates the agency’s efforts to support nation-building.
He added that young biotech innovators chosen from across the agency’s departments will use the conference as a training ground and launching pad.
The YRF, according to Mustapha, was a manifestation of his wish to establish an institutional framework for mentoring that would close generational divides.
He stated that one of the projects the YRF would concentrate on was the development of biocatalysts for the manufacture of bioethanol.
Researchers Develop Innovative Treatment for Malaria
Nigeria to Host ICEGOV 2025, A Milestone in Digital Governance and Global Leadership
African Union Launches Credit Rating Agency to Promote Regional Economic Integration
TikTok Returns on Apple, Google US App Stores as Trump Delays Ban
MTN Nigeria Foundation Supports Education with Donation of School Supplies to 1000+ Students
Canal+ to Carve, Spin out MultiChoice’s LicenceCo in Aggressive Takeover Bid
Fidelity Bank and NIYEEDEP Join Forces to Empower 6 Million Nigerian Youths
Mobile App Usage to Drop By 25 Percent on AI Assistants- Study
FCCPC Issues Message to Nigerians on How to Report Loan Apps Harassing Customers
NCC, NBTE to formulate IP Policy for Polytechnics, Technical Institutions
E-Business3 days agoSchmidt, Ex Google Chief Says AI Risky in Terrorist Hands
News3 days agoFG Order MDAs to Close Commercial Banks’ Accounts, Enforce TSA Policy
Telecom3 days agoBreaking….Tariff Hike: MTN Apologizes to Nigerians but Silent on Reversal
E-Financial3 days agoNigeria Worst Hit by Crypto Currency Fraud
Telecom3 days agoSalesforce Collaborates with Tech Leaders to Launch AI Energy Score for Model Efficiency
Telecom3 days agoGombe Commissioner of Police Visits GBB Command Centre, Strengthens Collaboration on ICT-Driven Security Solutions
General News2 days agoResearchers Develop Innovative Treatment for Malaria
News2 days agoTikTok Returns on Apple, Google US App Stores as Trump Delays Ban