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NIPR Recognises GovSanwo-Olu’s Contributions, As Delegates Discuss Healthcare at Annual Conference
The organisers of the annual Lagos Public Relations Stakeholders’ Conference on Thursday recorgnised the contributions Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to healthcare in Lagos State as part of the activities marking the eight edition of conference.
L-R President African Public Relations Association, Mr Yomi Badejo – Okusanya; President and Chairman of Council, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Mallam Mukhtar Sirajo; Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi; Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos Chapter, Mr Comfort Nwankwo and the Conference Convener, CEO Addefort Limited, MrOlabamijiAdeleye at the 8th Lagos Public Relations Stakeholders’ Conference, Promoting Healthcare and Wellness at the MUSON Centre, on Thursday August 26, 2021.
The award was received by Prof Akin Abayomi , Lagos State commissioner for health, on behalf of the governor.
Corporate organisationsrecorgnised at the event include; TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited, Zenith Bank Nigeria Plc, Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Leadway Health and Silverbird Communication.
Addressing the audience at the MUSON Centre, Onikan Lagos, the commissioner assured that the state government is committed to providing the needed infrastructure to achieve sustainable healthcare in Lagos State.
Speaking on healthcare and wellness, he explained that, “You are only as healthy as the food you eat and the environment you live in.” Adding that, Health is not just a matter of well being; health is a matter of national security, a matter of economic.
He added that the government is committed to radical redirection of the health infrastructure in the State. He explained that, “Brain gain will be given attention, by providing facility for medical specialization;the state is providing modern intervention for cancer and kidney diseases among others.
We will attract our medical practitioners from outside the country. We will do more to protect our medical data; we will promote indigenous knowledge system. We must do all to not destroy or ecosystem.
The guest lecturer at the event, Chief Research Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Dr Aina Oluwagbemiga, explained that one of the core solutions to implementation challenges of healthcare in Nigeria is policy communication.
He spoke on the need to give special attention to the health sector, underlining the need for public and private participation.
According to him, research institutions should be given the needed fund.He highlighted some of the requirements to include “There should be adequate funding for federal / state universities and research institutions; giving incentives to health workers will motivate them to do more; retraining our health workers on human relations; there should be the political will on the side of government to ensure sustainable healthcare in the country.”
On health insurance in the country he noted that, “recent report shows that since the launch of the NHIS, only 5% of Nigerians have health insurance and 70% still finance their healthcare through Out-Of-Pocket expenditure”.
He added that “Policy communication strategies such as public health announcement is critical to addressing health emergencies, like the COVID-19 pandemic or a natural disaster”.
On his part, the President and Chairman of Council, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Mallam Muktar Sirajo observed that the theme for the conference is timely.
He noted that “As Public Relations professionals, we are expected to lead the debate to reawaken national consciousness.
He added that the Institute is committed to continuous engagements to deepen stakeholders’ appreciation for the practice.
The chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos Chapter, Mrs Comfort Nwankwo praised the progress that has been achieved in the past 8 years of the conference.
She commended the partnership with Addefort Limited over the period and the continuous support of corporate organizations, government and other stakeholders.
“Without our corporate partners we will not be able to put this event together, we appreciate your continuous support over the years” she said.
Speaking on the conference, the convener, CEO Addefort Limited, Mr Olabamiji Adeleye commended all stakeholders and explained the progress that has been in the last eight years of the annual event.
According to him, “The Annual Lagos Public Relations Stakeholders’ Conference, now in its 8th edition has been consistent towards the actualization of its set vision of promoting the social- economic development of the nation; it has evolved over the past eight years to become a bridge-building talker-shop for stakeholders to interact, discuss and proffer solutions to the social, political and economic challenges plaguing our nation.”
“The idea is that Public Relations must set the agenda on the way forward to achieve our collective goals and aspirations.”
“The theme for this year, “Policy Communication for Sustainable Healthcare and Wellness in Nigeria” is not totally an outcome of the pandemic, but a deliberate effort to address the issue of Healthcare in the country, and to fashion a way forward.”
“It is premised on the need to promote sustainable healthcare and wellness; this was given special focus in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Envision2030, due to its strategic importance to human sustainability”.
“You will agree with me that among others obvious challenges, evidence from the recent pandemic has further shown that much still need to be done by government, corporate organizations and individuals to achieve sustainable healthcare and wellness in the country. This is why we are here today.”
Other speakers at the event include; Executive Secretary MTN Nigeria Foundation, Mrs Odunayo Sanya; Country Communication Manager, Total Energies, Dr. Charles Ebereonwu; Founder/CEO, Trinity Healthcare Foundation, Dr. Nseabasi Ekanem; Head of Operation, Leadway Health, Dr. Gideon Anumba.
Most online services and apps require the user to create a password. Chances are many of those passwords are not being used daily and due to this overabundance, there’s a high probability that many of the passwords are being reused.
Poor password management is compounded by a reliance on common combinations of names, dictionary words and numerals. Not only are these passwords relatively easy to decipher, but if a cybercriminal gains access to a password on one site, that could result in access to a plethora of other sites.
People are urged to create unique, random passwords to counter the vulnerability posed by using the same password multiple times. However, password creation and management can be an arduous task.
To tackle the burden of password creation and management, people might be tempted to use large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Llama or DeepSeek to generate their passwords.
The appeal is clear. Rather than struggling to come up with a strong password, users can simply ask AI, “Generate a secure password” and get an instant result.
AI produces strings that look random, which helps avoid the human tendency to create predictable, dictionary-based passwords. But appearances can be deceptive, AI-generated passwords may not be as secure as they appear.
Alexey Antonov, Data Science Team Lead at Kaspersky, tested this by generating 1,000 passwords using some of the more prominent and trusted LLMs including ChatGPT (from OpenAI), Llama (model from Meta group), DeepSeek (newcomer from China).
“All of the models are aware that a good password consists of at least 12 characters, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. They report this when generating passwords,” says Antonov.
“In practice, though, the algorithms often neglected to insert a special character or digits into the password: 26% of passwords for ChatGPT, 32% for Llama and 29% for DeepSeek. While DeepSeek and Llama sometimes generated passwords shorter than 12 characters.”
In 2024, Alexey Antonov developed a machine learning algorithm to test password strength and found that almost 60% of passwords can be cracked in under an hour using modern GPUs or cloud-based cracking tools.
When applied to AI-generated passwords, the results were alarming, they were far less secure than they appeared: 88% of DeepSeek and 87% of Llama generated passwords were not strong enough to withstand attack from sophisticated cyber criminals. While ChatGPT did a little better with 33% of passwords not strong enough to pass the Kaspersky test.
“The problem is LLMs don’t create true randomness. Instead, they mimic patterns from existing data, making their outputs predictable to attackers who understand how these models work,” notes Antonov.
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has introduced a crowd-sourcing initiative aimed at providing more accurate statistical information and data to policymakers and the general public.
According to a statement issued by Folorunso Alesanmi, head of Public Relations, the initiative, which commenced several months ago, involves compiling daily price data from a wide range of sources.
These include open markets, supermarkets, neighbourhood shops, bulk and discount stores, street outlets, and large retail shops.
Data collection has been conducted across all 36 States, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and every senatorial district.
However, the Bureau clarified that price data gathered through crowd-sourcing differs from the data used in computing the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
While CPI data is collected at specific, pre-determined outlets during the second and third weeks of each month, crowd-sourced price data is gathered randomly from different respondents daily.
By leveraging the power of crowd-sourcing, the Bureau has been able to gather a vast amount of data that offers a more nuanced picture of price trends in the economy.
“We are thrilled to release our first price data compiled through crowd-sourcing. This initiative represents a major step forward in our efforts to harness the power of technology and innovation to improve the quality and timeliness of our statistical data,” said Prince Semiu Adeyemi Adeniran, Statistician-General of the Federation and NBS CEO.
The newly released data offers insights into the prices of essential food items commonly consumed by Nigerians, such as local rice, white beans, white maize, garri, yam, and more. It provides a daily snapshot of food costs.
The NBS plans to update this data on a daily basis, offering entrepreneurs, policymakers, and researchers a valuable tool for monitoring price fluctuations and making informed decisions.
The data is accessible to the public through a dedicated dashboard, where users can view, analyze, and download it in real-time—enhancing transparency and accessibility.
“To this end, the agency has implemented a range of quality control measures, including data validation and verification processes, to ensure that the data is reliable and trustworthy,” the statement added.
The release of this crowd-sourced price data underscores the NBS’s commitment to innovation and collaboration.
By working with citizens and embracing technology, the Bureau aims to provide more timely and accurate statistics to drive economic growth and development
Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the continent’s leading instrumental infrastructure solutions provider, has announced the appointment of Mrs Ireti Samuel-Ogbu as Chair of its Board of Directors. She succeeds Mr. Emeka Emuwa who has completed 12 years of meritorious service to the Corporation.
Mrs. Samuel-Ogbu brings a wealth of experience spread over three decades leading and transforming the banking sector in Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Until recently, she led Citi’s institutional businesses in Nigeria and Ghana, with oversight across Banking, Markets and Services.
During this period, she steered the franchise through significant macroeconomic and regulatory headwinds, strengthening its strategic momentum and resilience.
Her international career within Citibank included senior leadership roles across over 50 countries in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, during which time she worked in the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and South Africa.
Mrs. Samuel-Ogbu has extensive boardroom experience including Citibank Nigeria where she was a Non-Executive Director for 6 years and Chair of the Risk Committee prior to becoming the Managing Director.
She also served on the board of CHAPS Clearing UK, the high value payment system now operated by the Bank of England and a UK-based charity, Opportunity International.
Her extensive experience and unwavering dedication to the advancement of Africa make her a valuable asset to AFC at a time when the Corporation is more committed than ever to accelerating Africa’s transformation through bold investments, innovative financing models and catalytic partnerships.
AFC recently delivered a record-breaking FY2024 financial performance, with total revenue increasing by 22.8% to US$1.1 billion, surpassing the US$1billion milestone for the first time.
This strong performance was driven by several transformational projects including acting as the Lead Project Developer for the Lobito Corridor, a transformative multi-country transport network connecting Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), financing of the expansion of the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the DRC — one of the world’s highest-grade, low-carbon underground copper mines and financing support for the commissioning of the Dangote Refinery, the largest in Africa.
Speaking on the appointment, Samaila Zubairu, President& CEO of AFC, said: ” We are delighted to welcome Mrs Ireti Samuel-Ogbu as Chair of the Board.
Her wealth of experience, visionary leadership and deep understanding of Africa’s financial landscape will be invaluable as we navigate our next phase of growth- expanding our impact, mobilising urgently needed capital and delivering transformative projects that enable inclusive and sustainable prosperity across the continent.”
Mrs Ireti Samuel-Ogbu commented: “I am honoured to take on the role of Chair at AFC, an institution that serves as a trusted bridge between international capital and Africa’s dynamic growth opportunities.
I look forward to working closely with the board, management, and all stakeholders to advance the Corporation’s mission and strengthen its role as the leading provider of strategic, investment-driven solutions that unlock Africa’s full economic potential.”
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