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NCC Has Committed Over N200m to Research and Development, Says Danbatta

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L-R: Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director Public Affairs, NCC; 3rd prize winner, MarcPatrick Efevuriri Efeni; 1st prize winner, Esther Gbeja; Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, NCC; 2nd prize winner, Edosa Moses Mosa; 3rd prize winner, Nasiru Abdulkarim; and Edoyemi Ogoh, Deputy Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, NCC, at the event.
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Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC),has declared that the Commission had committed over N200 million into the promotion of research and development (R&D) in order to drive innovation in the country’s telecommunications sector.

L-R: Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director Public Affairs, NCC; 3rd prize winner, MarcPatrick Efevuriri Efeni; 1st prize winner, Esther Gbeja; Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, NCC; 2nd prize winner, Edosa Moses Mosa; 3rd prize winner, Nasiru Abdulkarim; and Edoyemi Ogoh, Deputy Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, NCC, at the event.

Danbatta stated this during the prize presentation ceremony of the 2021 NCC National Essay Competition held on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, at the Conference Room of the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja.

At the event which marked the 3rd edition of the annual competition organised by the Commission, the EVC said the Commission has invested modestly in research grants, instituted professorial chairs in universities across the country, supported tech startups, and sponsored national essay competitions and many more social investments in order to ensure synergy and linkages among industry, the academia and the youth.

Over 2,000 entries were received from 97 public and private tertiary institutions for the competition in which Esther Oluwabukola Gbeja, a 600-Level student of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Ilorin, was declared overall winner.

Gbeja received a cash prize of N500,000.00, a laptop, and a printer; while the first runner-up, Moses Nosa Edosa, a final year student of Accounting at the University of Port Harcourt, received a cash prize of N300,000.00 only.

Two second runners-up emerged from the competition to pick the third prize. MarcPatrick Efevuriri Efeni, a 200-Level student of Cybersecurity at the Airforce Institute of Technology, Kaduna; and Nasiru Abdul Karim, a 400-Level student of Computer Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, both came third having scored same number of points. They both received cash prizes of N200,000 each.

The EVC said NCC gladly accommodated the additional prize due to the tie in the third place, as a mark of encouragement.

According to Danbatta, the topic for this year’s essay competition, “5G Technology: Opportunities & challenges”, was carefully chosen to ensure that the youths have a good understanding of the new technology.

He said Nigeria’s vibrant youth populace stands to benefit massively from the deployment of 5G technology, which the Commission is set to launch in 2022.

The NCC CEO said the Commission initiated and has maintained the annual essay competition to stimulate the interest of Nigerians especially the young people, to contribute to efforts in driving innovation in the technological ecosystem of Nigeria.

“It is on this premise that NCC took the step to encourage Nigerian students to remain pro-active and partake in the national competition that challenges students to be competitive and engage their best efforts,” he said.

While emphasizing the critical importance of communications as the foundation for the technological development of society and its role in the provision of vital infrastructure for national security, the EVC highlighted the need to invest in research programmes as observed in advanced nations, where a lot of resources are channeled into R&D.

Prof. Danbatta seized the opportunity provided by the event to reiterate the assurances of the Commission to Nigerians that 5G technology will expand the mobile ecosystem into a new realm and the impact will be felt in various sectors of the economy.

The Chairman of the 3rd NCC National Essay Competition Committee, Edoyemi Ogoh, who is also a Deputy Director in the Commission’s Technical Standards and Network Integrity Department, commended the EVC’s effort in recognising the academia as a key stakeholder in the development of the communications sector, and in encouraging that critical sector to have a natural connection with the industry.

Ogoh further said that the Commission “knows the importance of innovative thinking in the growing ICT industry in Nigeria and as such, this has made the Commission to engage youths in various tertiary institutions across the nation to compete in essay writing on 5G technology.”

Also speaking at the event, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director, Public Affairs at the NCC, said the essay competition is one of the most important initiatives the Commission, and expressed his delight at the ability of the winners who have demonstrated vast knowledge on the subject matter during their presentation.

Adinde also emphasised the influence of the competition in the stimulation of the minds of the target audience and the creation of positive awareness to debunk misconceptions about the 5G technologies.

The Director Public Affairs said, the outcome of the competition is an encouragement to the NCC Management to continue to support the national essay competition while ensuring that the Commission sustains such programme.

He said the results are evident today as the NCC has, through the essay contest, produced four ambassadors of 5G.

“These youths can go out and engage their peers about 5G, its benefits, opportunities and address the negative preconceptions about the 5G network,” Adinde said.

The essay competition was initiated by the NCC to deepen awareness and knowledge of telecommunications stakeholders in the country, especially the young people.

Interestingly, every successive year, the competition is marked by massive responses in the number of essays submitted by students.

Though the Commission has been able to organise three of such national essay competitions, the resultant social and emotional equity has had impressive and quantifiable values on the Commission as a leading Nigerian public sector brand.

 

 


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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NGF Launches Digital Platform to Bridge $100bn Infrastructure Gap

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The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has launched a digital platform to attract local and international investors to Nigeria’s sub-national infrastructure projects and close the country’s estimated $100 billion annual financing gap.

Unveiled in Abuja, Investopedia will serve as a transparent “one-stop shop” for investment opportunities across Nigeria’s 36 states, said the forum, offering detailed project information and clear entry points for prospective investors.

NGF chairman and Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, described the initiative as a “strategic tool to unlock Nigeria’s full potential by mobilising global and African capital for critical infrastructure”.

He stressed that the platform should be seen as more than an investment catalogue, but a gateway that combines opportunities with guidance and institutional oversight.

Investopedia is backed by partnerships with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI).

NGF director-general, Abdulateef Shittu, hailed the launch as a “new dawn” for sub-national investment readiness, noting that Nigeria attracted only $1.87 billion in foreign direct investment in 2023, well below Africa’s average.

By curating a pipeline of bankable projects, he said the platform would boost investor confidence and expand Nigeria’s global visibility.

Shittu added that beyond financing, the platform would foster technical partnerships, capacity-building, and risk mitigation, laying the groundwork for sustainable economic growth.

“This is about more than funding, it is about actionable, bankable projects that will drive jobs, inclusive growth, and long-term prosperity,” he said.


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IHS Nigeria, Osun State partner to transform technical education

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IHS Nigeria has partnered with the Osun State Government on Osun Teacher-Shift 2025, a programme aimed at transforming technical and vocational school teachers into digital-ready educators capable of driving innovation in classrooms.

The IHS Nigeria sponsored initiative, implemented by Focus Teens Foundation in collaboration with the Osun State Board of Technical and Vocational Education, targets about 200 teachers across the State’s nine technical colleges. The training will run in batches over a two-day period, with participants expected to acquire modern skills, and innovative teaching techniques.

Speaking at the opening ceremony which held in Osogbo yesterday, Titilope Oguntuga, Director of Sustainability at IHS Nigeria, explained that the project was developed to prepare teachers for the opportunities and challenges of a fast-evolving world.

She said, “Today is not just the launch of a programme — it is the beginning of a movement. This is more than training, it is a mindset shift. It is about rethinking how we prepare teachers, students, and our communities for the opportunities and challenges of a fast-evolving world.”

Oguntuga emphasised that teachers remain at the centre of national development but face increasing demands to inspire creativity, nurture innovation, and equip young people with practical and technology-driven skills.

She noted that the initiative also reflects IHS Nigeria’s four sustainability pillars — ethics and governance, environment and climate change, people and communities, and education and economic growth.

The IHS official said, “education remains the strongest catalyst for national development. But we cannot achieve this without empowering the people who will empower the next generation. With this programme, teachers and beneficiaries from the nine technical colleges will begin to think more innovatively and incorporate new systems that support STEM for the advancement of our nation.”

Oguntuga added that each school would be given routers with one year subscription.

Adedapo Ademola-Adesina, Special Adviser to the Governor on Technical and Vocational Education, noted that the State Government believes in private sector collaboration to achieve its goals for technical and vocational education, leading to the partnership with IHS Nigeria.

“We must begin by changing the mindset of our teachers. They are the ones who shape future leaders. That is why we tagged the program “Osun Teacher-Shift 2025” — shifting from the old ways to new digital teaching”, he said.

Also speaking, Sunday Eluwole, the Osun State Commissioner for Education, acknowledged that the training was both timely and necessary, saying; “this is the 21st century, and Nigeria cannot be left behind. Our schools, teachers, and classrooms must be digitalised. Teachers must first be trained in digital methods before they can pass the knowledge on to students.”

Eluwole added that Osun State, which has the highest number of technical colleges in the Country, is committed to making its schools models of digital and vocational learning.

Earlier, Muritala Jimoh, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, said that Osun State teachers are ready to shift. Jimoh noted that Governor Ademola Adeleke is prioritising teachers’ welfare in the state, hence their readiness to embrace the shift.

He called on teachers to reciprocate government’s efforts by making their minds flexible to change.


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Passengers Must Switch Off Phones during Flights — NCAA

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Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed all airlines operating in the country to ensure that passengers completely switch off their mobile phones during aircraft take-off and landing.

Passengers Must Switch Off Phones during Flights — NCAA

Michael Achimugu, director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCCA, disclosed the directive in a post on X on Tuesday.

He said the measure was part of a harmonisation of existing rules on the use of electronic devices onboard.

“Henceforth, the regulation per phones and other electronic devices in Nigeria has been unified: ALL PHONES MUST BE SWITCHED OFF DURING THE CRITICAL ASPECTS OF TAKE-OFF AND LANDING,” Achimugu wrote.

“All airlines must amend their security programmes to reflect this if different in their current programmes. No more airplane mode until regulations are reviewed to reflect evolving technological situations.”

The directive means that all airlines will have to adjust their operational manuals and cabin crew instructions to enforce the policy.

Reactions to the announcement have been mixed on social media, with some Nigerians questioning the relevance of the rule in light of advances in aircraft technology and onboard connectivity.

 

 

 


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