The Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, has struck a partnership with the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), for the optimal operation of the institution’s Center for Geospatial Information Science, paving the way for professional training and research in geospatial studies.

Rector of Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, Prof. Abiodun Falodun, in a chat with journalists, disclosed that the institution is going to make the best use of the state-of-the-art facilities at the center for the advancement of society.

Noting that he has already given the charge for accurate mapping of the institution’s host community, Usen, in Ovia North East Local Government Area, Edo State,

Prof. Falodun said, “We want to ensure that the centre meets the needs of the immediate community and its offerings relevant to the people. This is why we are going to properly map the host community.”

He said the school has already reached agreements with NASRDA for partnership to exploit the agency’s expertise in contributing to development in the state and country at large.

According to him, “I am very pleased to announce that we now have a robust partnership with NASRDA on the operations at the CGIS. As a centre that will engage in a lot of drone operations, we are very confident that this operation will pave the way for a lot of the work we do here.”

He hinted that the centre is in advanced stage of mounting professional training programmes in geospatial information science, and explained that training will be conducted for people who already deploy Geographic Information Systems in their work and others who aim to kickstart a career in geospatial science.

By Adeniyi Ogunfowoke,

With the many advantages of the World Wide Web and its impact on businesses, you would think the bandwagon impact would be massive.

Apparently, this is not the case as there are still a good number of businesses that are yet to bring their business online. Surprisingly, some of these businesses are struggling and are ready to jump at any ready-made solution to recover. Unknown to them, the solution is right under their noses which is to bring the business online.

There many online businesses that traditional stores can emulate. A good example is Jumia. Jumia is over 5 years in the online business and for these years, Nigeria’s no 1 shopping destination has encouraged millions of Nigerians to shop online. This has, fortunately, being aided by the fact that many customers now own smartphones and can afford the internet, they will no doubt, result to the internet to perform their transactions. Hence, the convenience of an online platform like Jumia is driving a lot of people to purchase, book and order things on the internet.

Reasons you need an online presence

24/7 hour availability

There are very few traditional or offline businesses in Nigeria that can run for 24 hours every day. It is impossible. A key benefit to having a website is that your clients and prospects can read about your products and place orders at any time. On regular business days or holidays. Imagine what being open 3-4 times longer could do for your business.

Better customer support

The diversity of the internet is immeasurable. It allows you to answer questions and solve customer problems in real time. You can also create a video, a product spec sheet or a FAQ (frequently asked question) section once, and you can direct clients to that information. Not only does it save you time, but you’ll be providing better service.

Very low start-up costs

Starting out online means very low startup costs. You have no buildings to construct, no vehicles to buy and few (if any) staff to hire. Simply build your site and start selling. If you are already selling offline, then the transition can be very smooth. You continue selling the same products that you know and have a good supply of. Putting your company online simply gives you a new source of customers.

Your customers are online

This is perhaps the most important reason for building an online presence. This is because your customers are online using search engines to search for your services.

How struggling businesses/retailers can improve business by coming online

Know your market

One of the biggest keys to success with an online business is to know the market. Where do your potential customers spend their time online and how can you reach them? The better you know your market, the more success you will have reaching them with the right message and offering them the right products and services. You don’t necessarily have to be an expert in your market and, you can learn as you go along.

Push your business on social media

Social media is absolutely free except you want to run a promotion campaign. You can also do a free push of your business on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. This will definitely give you brand recognition as you continually interact with your customers online.

Own a website

You need a website to complement your social media efforts. This is because search engines now have a huge impact on business because many people usually visit Google or Bing to search for what they want. If your website is fully optimised, then you will get more patronage. This, plus your social media, will help your business recover.

Publish an email newsletter

Capturing the email addresses of your website visitors is critical to the growth of every online business. However, a large and growing list is only valuable when useful and relevant information is sent on a regular basis to these individuals. The goal of an email list is to turn prospects into clients and clients into repeat customers and they will eventually become ambassadors for your company/product.

Keep them interested with content marketing

Content marketing refers to the strategy of marketing to potential customers with different types of content. The content used in this method can vary from blogs to videos; but they all share the same end goal: to convince visitors to your website that they should buy from or partner with you.

Rap icon, M.I Abaga took the Choc Boys Nation tour to Abeokuta on the evening of Sunday the 10th of February, 2019 and he delivered a night to remember as A-list artistes graced the stage to thrill music fans in Abeokuta.

After memorable shows in Abuja and Ibadan, fans in Abeokuta had high expectations, and M.I & friends certainly didn’t disappoint as the likes of Blaqbonez, C-kay, AQ and Loose Kanon delivered stellar performances which delighted all in attendance.

The show was proudly sponsored by Gulder and Legend, two brands from the stables of Nigerian Breweries.

Gulder is fresh off a successful sponsorship of social media week, in which it hosted an exciting panel conversation themed around its new campaign of “Own Your Journey”.

Gulder aims to communicate this brand narrative to the younger demographic. Hence its decision to be part of the CBN Tour, as well as its support M.I, who has transcended the times and managed to remain relevant and consistent in Nigerian pop-culture, all whilst owning his Journey to superstardom.

Legend Extra Stout is on a mission to inspire young Nigerians to be themselves and nothing exemplifies more originality than seeing M.I Abaga strutting his stuff on stage.

His ability to connect with the audience and break the proverbial wall between performer and audience, allowing both parties to engage and interact, is second to none.

Stealing the show, however, was the surprise appearance of Falz. The rapper was not part of the promotional material for the Abeokuta concert, and his appearance and subsequent performance got everyone in the crowd buzzing as the “Talk” crooner delivered one of the best performances of the night.

Speaking after the event, Brand Manager, Gulder, Kolawole Akintimehin spoke of Gulder’s involvement in the Choc Boy Nation Tour explaining – “We believe young people are the future, and we want to be part of their success stories. We know a lot of young people are inspired by M.I and rightfully so.

“He is an accomplished entertainer whose rise to prominence has seen him become one of the most influential personalities in the music industry.

“We feel in a lot of ways, M.I is a great example of Gulder’s new campaign. He has never shied away from challenges and has sought to grow from stride to stride, owning his journey along the way.

“With the CBN Tour, we are able to reach this young demography and inspire them to become the best they can be, urging them to never depart from their path but to own their journeys instead”.

After a memorable night in Abeokuta, the CBN tour is set to hit various other states across the country, as M.I and friends show no signs of slowing down.