News
Jaiz Empowers 83 Youths in YabaTech
The Yaba College of Education (YABATECH) Flexible Skills Development Centre has graduated 83 persons that have completed the flexible short skills development courses in Vegetable Farming, Video Camera Operation and Editing.
The programme was sponsored by Jaiz Charity Development Foundation.
The centre, established by YABATECH in April 2016 in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), was aimed at developing and teaching of Non-formal Courses in the college.
The graduates went home with tools and cash to start their own businesses.
This, the centre’s Director, Dr Ibrahim Abdul said, is part of the institution’s community service to make people in the environment acquire skills for sustainable livelihood.
“It also encourages the academic departments in the college to develop and offer short flexible courses to learners with the aim of empowering them to be entrepreneurs,” Abdul said.
YabaTech Deputy Rector Mrs Titilayo Ukabam advised the graduates to start businesses with the skills acquired. “That is the only way by which they can actualise what they have been thought.
“This is the only way you can continue to grow, because if you delay in starting, the tendency is that you will not actualise and actualisation is the key,” she said.
She hailed them for their resilient in completing the training.
She said: “I want to commend your determination to finish the course. Today, we are satisfied that you have indeed acquired the skills to stand on your own and keep on growing and contributing to the society as well as increasing your economic base without looking up to anybody or family members before you feed yourselves.
“You need to employ people as well to assist when your business has grown bigger. We expect that you should become an employer of labours, we don’t want unemployment in Nigeria and before you know it, you will begin to grow.” Mrs Ukabam thanked Jaiz foundation for sponsoring the programme.
JAIZ Charity Development Foundation Chief Executive Officer Imam Abdullahi Shuaib said the college’s programme was sponsored because it is in line with their focus area.
Shuaib said: “When we look at it, we see that the request is in line with our focus area and after dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s, today it has become a success story that we are showcasing a set of Nigerians who have passions, who have commitment, who are equally determined to also show the good work that YABATECH, particularly Flexible Skills Development Centre has packaged not only for Nigerians but for the whole world to see and you are now the ambassadors of this centre.
“Go out there and show the world that the programme is not only doable but can make a positive impact on the larger society. With this, other people will give it the required attention and expand it beyond what it is today. So you are carrying the label, and that label is a positive one,” he said.
According to him, the tools and cash given to the graduates were meant to help them start businesses immediately.
He said: “Without much ado, we have no doubt in our minds that we are all set to open a new page and to do something positive for ourselves, our immediate families, environments and our country as a whole.
“Always have positive mind-sets, what we are doing today may look so small but I want to assure you that as small as it is today, you have acquired the required skills.
“We want you not just as entrepreneurs but mentors for those who have been sitting on the fence or those that felt it was just a mere talk at the starting point. And they will come back and ask how you did it.”
He urged the director of the centre to have a unit that will monitor the activities of the graduates, promising those that excel in their businesses more capital.
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).
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.”
News
FCCPC Shuts France, Belgium, and Italy Visa Centres in Abuja Over Alleged Consumer Rights Violations
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.
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.
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.
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