News
Pantami Inaugurates ICT Innovation Hub in Gombe
Dr Isa Pantami, Minister of Communication Technology, on Monday, inaugurated an ICT innovation hub for the training of youths on phone repairs, and computer literacy in Gombe state.
The Minister said the centre was part of government’s effort to create job opportunities for youths to be self-reliant and improve the socio-economic development of the country, through ICT.
According to him, the centre will immediately commence the training of 100 youths for them to become employers of labour.
“The wisdom of building this centre is not just for to come and browse, read online news or to chat.
“It is for changing our youths to come up with innovative ideas that if implemented, will go along away in changing our own way of life,” he said.
Pantami said similar centre had been inaugurated in Katsina and Ibadan for youths to be empowered in the area of ICT.
He urged youths to take advantage of technology to make vocations for themselves instead of depending on government.
The minister also urged Gombe state government to utilise the centre for the development of the state.
Gov. Inuwa Yahaya, thanked the Minister for identifying with the people and with the need of the people through the usage of ICT in the country.
He assured that the state government would take the advantage of the centre, to ensure that the state and the country at large would move to the next level of development.
“We appreciate you and equally Mr President for coming up with these developmental projects at the national and state levels
“Gombe state will definitely key in to this noble agenda to make sure we take our people to the next level,” he said.
Mr Kashifu Abdullahi, Director-General, NITDA said that the establishment of the centre would encourage and empower youths to take advantage of it toward reducing over dependence on government.
“This is an effort by President Muhammadu Buhari toward addressing unemployment by making ICT tools available for youthS to significantly encourage and promote digital innovation and job creation in the country,“ he said.
It was gathered that the Minister had earlier distributed 300 laptops to secondary schools across 30 schools in the state.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Mrs Joy Enwa, the Accountant General of Delta State, in connection with the alleged misappropriation of N1.3 trillion linked to former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
The EFCC is investigating funds reportedly diverted from the 13 percent derivation allocation intended for oil-producing states. Alongside Mrs Enwa, the anti-graft agency has questioned other officials, including a former Director of Finance and Administration and a senior Government House staff member.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale confirmed the arrest, stating, “Mrs Enwa was detained for questioning over the ongoing investigation into the mismanagement of state funds under the former administration. Some other government officials have also been interrogated.”
Mrs Enwa, who was appointed Accountant General by Okowa in 2020, previously served as Deputy Accountant General under Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.
She had earlier faced allegations of involvement in a N369 million fraud case in 2015, which implicated other state officials and bank representatives.
The ongoing investigation has also uncovered assets allegedly tied to the fraud, including shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Company and investments in the oil sector.
Former Governor Okowa was detained by the EFCC in November at the agency’s Port Harcourt office over accusations of diverting state funds for personal enrichment.
When approached for comments, Mrs Enwa declined to elaborate, saying, “I am not the right source to confirm this story. Please contact the EFCC for clarification.” The EFCC continues its probe into what could be one of the largest financial scandals in Delta State’s history.
Nigeria has launched an emergency response centre after recording 190 deaths from Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic illness, according to Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
The disease, mainly transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or excrement, has infected 1,154 people in six Nigerian states.
Jide Idris, head, Nigerian Center for Disease Control, said the agency’s risk assessment has categorized it as high, prompting the activation of the emergency Operations Centre to manage the outbreak.
“While the disease occurs throughout the year, peak transmission typically happens between October and May, coinciding with the dry season when human exposure to rodents increases,” he said at a press briefing in Abuja.
The centre will ensure seamless coordination of the control and management of the outbreak.
Symptoms of the virus – which can also be passed between people through bodily fluids of those infected – include fever, headaches and, in the most severe cases, death.
The World Health Organization classifies Lassa fever as a priority disease due to its epidemic potential and lack of approved vaccines.
Federal government has proposed to spend N1.5bn for internet services for passengers at five international airports in the country.
The project, “Provision/Upgrade of WiFi Services for Passengers in Five International Airports and some Domestic Airports” was listed as a new project in the 2025 appropriation.
In some parts of the world, access to the internet via Wi-Fi at airports is regarded to be a basic human right.
Such amenities are lacking in Nigeria.
But the 2025 budget presented to the National Assembly last week by President Bola Tinubu saw the sum of N105.953,496,365 being allocated to the Ministry of Aviation.
Apart from internet access at the airports, some other capital allocations were reinstated for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
In previous budgets, three agencies of the ministry including the apex regulatory agency, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and NAMA were exempted from the annual budgetary allocation.
In addition, the federal government deducts 50 per cent of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), which is against the standard and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which recommends that the funds generated by the agencies should be reinvested into improving infrastructure and boosting aviation safety.
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