Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Connect with us

News

Ekiti University Student Wins Regional Finals in Airtel One Mic Show

Published

on

Segun Ogunsanya, CEO, Airtel Nigeria
Kindly share this post

 

Alalade Ololade, an undergraduate of Ekiti State University (EKSU), has emerged winner of the West Regional finals of “Airtel One Mic”; a talent-hunt show for tertiary institutions created by leading telecom service provider, Airtel Nigeria.

Ololade, a 200 level Psychology student popularly called ‘Jay Dreamz’ outshone five other zonal finalists, who participated in the keenly-contested regional final to win the star prize, a brand new KIA Picanto. In addition, he was also rewarded with a full artiste makeover and recording deal.

He was adjudged winner by a comprised by the trio of ID Cabasa, Reminisce and Black Magic who were the judges for the competition which  held in  Ilorin, Kwara State.

The six finalists comprised two representatives each from University of Ibadan, Ekiti State University and University of Ilorin, the institutions grouped under the West Region of the competition.

University of Ibadan was represented by Baba Shamang Stephen, aka ‘Baba Shamang’, a 300 level Classical Studies student and, Bukola Ogunbodede aka ‘Zorah, a 400 level Theatre Arts Student while Ekiti State University was represented by the eventual winner, Alalade Ololade and Adekanye Ayodeji, aka ‘Zoko’, a 200 level Philosophy student.

The duo of Adebisi Babatunde, aka ‘Tundex Mania’ and Farounbi Benjamin nicknamed ‘Hil,’ both students of Performing Arts in University of Ilorin completed the list of finalists.

The contestants were assessed in terms of creativity, lyrics, punch line, appearance, stage performance and connection with crowd during the freestyle, acapella and studio recorded track performance, but the verdict of the judges showed that Jay Dreamz stood out among others finalists.

Segun Aderinokun, Airtel Nigeria’s Head, Youth Segment, and Ekundayo Fatoki, Zonal Business Manager, West, congratulated Jay Dreamz and presented him with the keys to his prize, a Kia Picanto.

An elated Jay Dreamz said: “I feel humble and happy to represent my school here today and to be the champion of the West Regional finals. I thank all my supporters and the greatest thanks to Airtel Nigeria for creating this opportunity for Nigerians students who have music talent to develop their career”.

“Airtel One Mic is a brilliant initiative created to discover, support and empower youths across Nigerian tertiary institutions. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to be in the midst of stars like Black Magic, Reminisce and a music producer like ID Cabasa. One again, I say big thanks to the most student-friendly network, Airtel.”

The event was well-attended by students from the participating institutions with the highpoint being the performance by Black Magic and Reminisce who thrilled the audience with some of their popular tracks.

A few weeks ago, Olatunji Oladotun Alade, aka ‘Dotman’, an undergraduate of the University of Lagos, emerged winner of the Lagos regional finals.

The East regional finals involving University of Calabar, Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Enugu and University of Port Harcourt will hold on December 6 at the Dizney Hall, Behind Habitat Hotel, Off Uniport, Choba, Port Harcourt.

The North regional final which has contestants drawn from University of Abuja, Nasarawa State University and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria will hold a week later at the Tiffany Garden, beside Ero Waters in Gwagwalada, Abuja.

The Airtel One Mic initiative is aimed at discovering and promoting musical talent from tertiary institutions in Nigeria, in line with the company’s commitment to consistently encourage and empower Nigerian youths towards achieving their dreams through various identified passion points.


Kindly share this post

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

News

DBN Awards N13m in Grants to Tech Startups

Published

on

Kindly share this post

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).

DBN Awards N13m in Grants to Tech Startups

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.”


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

News

FCCPC Shuts France, Belgium, and Italy Visa Centres in Abuja Over Alleged Consumer Rights Violations

Published

on

Kindly share this post

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.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

News

How and Why N210 Trillion is Missing in NNPCL – CFO

Published

on

Kindly share this post

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.

How and Why N210 Trillion is Missing in NNPCL - CFO

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.

 

 


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Trending