The Director of Human Resources and Administration at Airtel Nigeria, Adebimpe Ayo-Elias, has been awarded as HR Leader of the Year at the 2024 HR People Magazine Awards, organized by Mapelwood Global Resource.

The award ceremony, held recently at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, celebrated the achievements of outstanding HR professionals across Nigeria who have contributed significantly to organizational success and workplace culture.

Speaking on the recognition, Carl Cruz, CEO of Airtel Nigeria, expressed immense pride in Ayo-Elias’s achievement, describing it as a milestone not only for her but also for the company.

“Adebimpe’s impact, dedication, and leadership extend well beyond Airtel, and this award is a well-deserved recognition of her influence in the HR field. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments and look forward to her continued contributions to the industry,” he said.

Receiving the award, Adebimpe expressed gratitude for the honour, reiterating her commitment to advancing world-class HR practices within her organisation.

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute positively to the lives of those we serve within and beyond the organization. Airtel Nigeria creates an environment that nurtures growth, encourages innovation, and prioritizes the well-being of every employee and as such, this award motivates me to continue championing these values,” she said.

This award reaffirms Airtel Nigeria’s commitment to developing and empowering talent, further establishing the company as a leading force in creating an impactful, forward-thinking workplace.

Canadian government has ordered TikTok to shut down its operations within Canada, directing the social media platform to close its offices in Toronto and Vancouver.

Despite the office closures, Canadian users will continue to have access to the app itself.

The decision was announced following a national security review led by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne stated that TikTok’s activities posed a threat to national security, though he declined to provide specific details.

“We came to the conclusion that these activities… would be injurious to national security,” Champagne told CBC News, underscoring the seriousness of the government’s actions.

TikTok has voiced strong opposition to the order, vowing to challenge it in court. A spokesperson for TikTok argued that the closure will lead to significant job losses and stated, “Shutting down TikTok’s Canadian offices and destroying hundreds of well-paying local jobs is not in anyone’s best interest.”

The move follows Canada’s previous restrictions on TikTok, including a ban from government-issued devices in 2023 due to privacy and security concerns.

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has faced similar scrutiny from the U.S. government, which has also considered further restrictions over national security concerns.

TikTok maintains that it will continue to serve Canadian users on its platform, allowing creators to connect and businesses to operate.

However, the dispute between TikTok and Canadian authorities signals ongoing tensions between governments and the app’s China-based parent company.

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo has said that reforms by his administration in the digital and technology space over the last eight years have revolutionised the state.

The Governor who stated over the weekend at the launch of the Edo State Digital Policy and Edo Data Centre, disclosed that was the first data centre owned by a state in Nigeria.

According to him, his reforms had repositioned Edo as a leading state in digital inclusion in Nigeria, adding that his government was leveraging technology as a catalyst for socio-economic development and inclusive growth.

He said: “I welcome you to the only data center owned by a state in Nigeria. This event is significant because we have started a revolution in Edo State, a digital revolution. We are rounding up with a policy statement that will guide this revolution into the future.

“The population of Edo is scaled towards the youths as they are born in a digital age. The future is digital. It will be difficult to navigate the world today without technology. If you want to develop and grow rapidly, you must begin to think of how to use technology.

“The pace of the advancement of technology in the world today is scary. So, just imagine those who have not started yet; I don’t think they can live in the future world. In Edo, we have always been ahead in our history. We have been a knowledgeable people as we interacted at a global level over 500 years ago on our own level.

“To catch up, we had to do something else and different. That was why from the beginning it was clear to us that we had to introduce technology and make sure that we begin to retrain our young ones, the youths, to own this digital world and the confidence in it.”

Obaseki added: “We have moved Edo into the digital superhighway and to operate on that superhighway, they must know the rules and must be guided by certain rules and practices. That is what we are doing today and incorporating in this policy document. This will enable everybody to understand the shape of this high way and what they need to do on this high way.”

The governor continued: “I had the privilege of working with young people in Edo State and working together, we set up EdoJobs and the Edo Innovate Hub as these have helped our young people and till date, over 50,000 young men and women have benefited from various training and programmes from Edo Innovate. We have been lucky to build a digital ecosystem which has grown rapidly.

“Years ago, as the Chairman of the State’s Economy Team, we set up the ICTA but we struggled all through but we kept it alive, and set up the law governing it. The agency is principally responsible for providing technology for the government.