Telecom
MTN Foundation Hosts 2024 Scholarship Awards Ceremony in Abuja
As part of MTN’s commitment to ensuring quality education and rewarding academic excellence, the MTN Foundation hosted its annual Scholarship award ceremony in Abuja.
L-R: Dr. Othman Ibrahim, Deputy Dean of Student Affairs, University of Jos; Mr. Ohwofasa Obazenu, Senior Manager of Sales and Trade Development at MTN Nigeria; Mrs. Aishatu Sadauki, Director of the MTN Foundation; Mrs. Basirat Agbabiaka, Head of the Disability Unit at the Registrar’s Office, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB); Dr. Anwalu Danlami, Head of the Department at the Federal College of Education, Bichi; alongside numerous guests and the 2024 MTN Foundation scholarship awardees, at the 2024 MTN Foundation Awards Ceremony held in Enugu.
The Scholarship is an annual programme under the Foundation’s Youth Development portfolio, that recognizes and rewards high-performing students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses, and Blind students in Nigerian public tertiary institutions.
The Top 10 scoring candidates of the Unified Matriculation Examination (UTME) also benefit from this programme each year.
In attendance were key stakeholders including Prof. Tanko Ishaya, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, who was represented by Dr. Othman Ibrahim, Deputy Dean of Student Affairs, University of Jos; Professor Is-Haq Oloyede, the current Registrar and Chief Executive of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), who was represented by Mrs. Basirat Agbabiaka, Head of the Disability Unit at the Registrar’s Office, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB); Mrs. Aishatu Sadauki, Director of the MTN Foundation; Dr. Anwalu Danlami, Head of the Department at the Federal College of Education, Bichi; Mr. Ohwofasa Obazenu, Senior Manager of Sales and Trade Development at MTN Nigeria alongside numerous guests. Several Alumni of the MTN Foundation Scholarship scheme across various universities in Northern Nigeria were also in attendance.
Speaking at the event, the director of MTN Foundation, Mrs. Aishatu Sadauki emphasized that education is a powerful tool for shaping minds and driving societal change, urging the new scholars to leverage their scholarships to build meaningful connections and contribute positively to their communities.
“For the past 13 years, the MTN Foundation has been driven by the belief that every individual, irrespective of their socio-economic status, has the potential to be a trailblazer, problem-solver, and visionary.
“Today, we are graduating 380 scholars whose achievements are not only a reflection of their potential, but also a contribution to the development of our great nation and beyond.They have surpassed our expectations by remaining steadfast and dedicated to excellence.
“These qualities have brought them this far, and we will not relent in our commitment to supporting their education.
“To the new scholars, I urge you to take advantage of this scholarship to build meaningful connections, acquire the knowledge you need to rise and give back to our society,” she said.
Also speaking at the event, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, who was represented by Dr. Othman Ibrahim, Deputy Dean of Student Affairs, University of Jos emphasized that recipients should fully embrace the scholarship opportunity, as it can greatly benefit their future, while also acknowledging MTN’s continued commitment to supporting education despite rising living costs.
“I want to sincerely thank MTN for this noble cause. I took the time to see all the good works they are doing, and the results truly speak for themselves.
“To the scholarship recipients, please don’t take this opportunity lightly. Make the best use of it, as it will benefit you greatly in the long run. It is not easy for anyone to support education these days, especially with the rising cost of living, yet MTN continues to do good work.
“I promise you that more individuals will benefit from this scholarship, and to all participants, I wish you the best of luck,” he said.
The scholarships were officially presented to the recipients during the award ceremony in Abuja. The newly awarded scholars will each enjoy a scholarship grant worth N300,000 annually till graduation as long as they maintain the required Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).
The scholarship covers tuition, book allowance and stipend. To date, MTN Foundation has awarded scholarships valued at over 2.5 billion naira to Nigerian students.
MTN Uganda is seeking input from stakeholders on a plan to structurally separate its mobile money service, MoMo, from its core telecoms business.
According to the company, the proposed change will be discussed at the upcoming extraordinary general meeting on July 2.
If approved, the telco’s fintech business will be run by a new company controlled by MTN Group Fintech Holdings B.V. and a trust benefiting minority shareholders following a merger.
Additionally, the restructuring also aligns with MTN Group’s ambition 2025 strategy which aims to unlock value, attract new investors, and strengthen regulatory compliance by creating standalone fintech entities in Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria.
The company’s fintech division has over 13 million customers, with an 18.4% revenue increase in the first quarter of 2025, driven by 19.0% growth in mobile money services, 19.8% growth in transaction volumes, and a 31.4% increase in transaction value.
Reports say the decision is part of the telco’s compliance with the National Payment Systems Act 2020, which mandates mobile money businesses to operate as standalone entities, and to align with MTN Group’s regional fintech strategy.
MTN Uganda, which is led by CEO Sylvia Mulinge, highlighted that the implementation of the proposed transaction will be subjected to a number of conditions and regulatory procedures.
“The implementation of the proposed transaction shall be subject to a number of conditions, including the company and MTN MoMo receiving all required regulatory approvals and no-objections and complying with any regulatory conditions,” said MTN Uganda in notice.
Netflix has announced plans to invest more than €1 billion in Spanish film and television productions over the next four years, reinforcing its commitment to Spain as a key creative hub in Europe.
The announcement was made by co-chief executive Ted Sarandos at an event held at Netflix’s production studios near Madrid, celebrating the company’s 10-year presence in the country.
Sarandos emphasized that the investment would contribute significantly to Spain’s economy, create jobs, and enable the streaming platform to produce more local content. He was joined by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in unveiling the initiative.
Netflix first established its international production studios in Madrid in 2019, following the success of the Spanish-language hit series Money Heist.
Since then, its 22,000-square-meter facility has become one of Netflix’s major production centers within the European Union.
The company currently supports over 20,000 jobs in Spain, highlighting the nation’s growing influence in global entertainment.
The investment reflects Netflix’s ongoing strategy to expand its presence in European markets through original content and local talent.
Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) has raised alarms over a new wave of advanced cyberattacks targeting Android mobile phones through a malware campaign dubbed Tria Stealer.
The malicious software is designed to infiltrate Android devices, hijack messaging accounts, intercept One-Time Passwords (OTPs), to steal sensitive personal and financial data.
According to ngCERT, Tria Stealer spreads primarily through deceptive tactics, such as fake event invitations distributed via popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.
Unsuspecting users are enticed to download an infected (APK) file, often disguised as a harmless system application, to evade detection.
Once installed, Tria Stealer requests extensive permissions, including access to SMS, call logs, and app notifications.
It immediately commences data harvesting activities, sending stolen information to a Command and Control (C2) server operated via Telegram bots.
This trojan spreads through fake links, usually disguised as wedding or event invites, and tricks users into downloading malicious APK files
“Account takeover of messaging platforms. Impersonation of victim for fraudulent money transfer requests. Compromise of banking and financial applications. Identity theft and credential harvesting.”
In plain terms, if your phone is compromised, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Your financial apps are vulnerable, your reputation could be ruined by impersonation and even simple personal messages could be twisted into tools for scams.
Here’s what users should be doing now:
Don’t download apps outside the official Play Store.
Be suspicious of random invites or links, even from people you know.
Turn on 2FA for everything—banking, emails, social platforms.
Get a reputable antivirus and keep it updated.
If you run an organisation, you should already be taking this seriously.
ngCERT’s guidance says you should raise awareness, monitor mobile devices, and not let your team click on unverified links.
“Deploy network monitoring for suspicious outbound connections to known C2 domains,” it said, meaning, keep an eye on every digital door in and out.
This isn’t one of those cases where you wait to see if it affects you. By the time you realise it, it may already be too late.
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