News
Sidmach Eager to Sign Up 20,000 Schools on SmartSchool in Next 12 Months
The need for accurate data to education and national planning cannot be overemphasized. In line with this, Sidmach Technologies joined forces with tech giant, Microsoft, to launch its cloud solutions, signaling it plans to sign up 20,000 schools within the next twelve months.
The Sidmach Cloud solutions are expected to assist enable organizations and individuals improve productivity, grow revenue, reduce operational costs, reach new markets and improve efficiency for educational and health institutions in the country.
The cloud platform offers a host of custom solutions including SmartSchool, School Safety Portal, APMIS together with Microsoft flagship offerings like Office 365, Skype for business, Azure and others.
Speaking at a press conference to unveil the cloud solutions in Lagos, Mr. Peter Arogundade, managing director, Sidmach Technologies, noted that this is an era of digital transformation for businesses and what the cloud platforms enables businesses to do is to operate without boundaries.
“Our SmartSchool is an effective, reliable, and affordable school management solutions developed totally in compliance with UNESCO and Nigerian Government education policy framework. It simplifies and improves school administration,” the MD said.
Speaking further on another of the solutions, Mr Arogundade said that the All-Purpose Medical Information Solution (APMIS) is an innovative, affordable, Medical Information System which connects all stakeholders on a single platform to harness the values that are inherent in seamless connectivity of health service delivery, education, research and administration.
He stated that, “APMIS is more than just a hospital information management software. It mitigates the challenges associated with information for hospital owners, healthcare professionals, caregivers, patients, government, health maintenance organisations, intervention agencies such as WHO, UNICEF and other stakeholders in the health sector.”
Mr Arogundade said schools will be able to use this cloud platform for free till the end of the current session and will only need to subscribe from next session.
On her part, Oluwawemimo Adeniyi, director, Small Midmarket Solutions and Partners Group, Microsoft Nigeria, noted that this is in line with Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Program, designed to strengthen customer relationships and expand cloud sales opportunities by enabling partners to provide direct billing, sell combined offers and services, as well as directly provide, manage and support products and services.
The implication, according to Mrs Adeniyi is that Sidmach Technologies owns the complete customer lifecycle, allowing it to easily sell her Solutions and Microsoft offerings which includes but not limited to Office 365, Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365 subscriptions and helping customers drive new business value through the cloud by owning the entire billing process and directly managing support.
Also speaking, Mr. Michael Olajide, executive director, Sales Market, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited, said that the company was motivated to develop the solution (smartschool) in lieu of the need for reliable data to assist government and school proprietors to make informed decisions and plan for the future.
According to him, “On the course of our research we discovered there are State with registered and unregistered schools, which shows that proper record management is paramount to assist them perform better. Thus, our target is to register about 20,000 schools within the next one year. The moment a school adopts the smartschool it covers the proprietor, teachers, students and parents/guidance and the key purpose is for each of the stakeholder to perform better”.
However, Mr. Chijioke Ekeh, chairman of the Company said that the solution has developed in the simplest form to enable easy navigation and enhance adoption.
Mr. Ekeh said, “In the process of putting the smartschool solution together, it took a lot of brainstorming to come up with the simple and effective solution. We took note of the fact that not all is tech savvy; thus, we make bold to say that the average literate person can use the platform”.
Sidmach also added that the smartschool solution will enable schools focus on their core-competences while the platform takes charge of the curriculum and some administrative responsibilities off their shoulders.
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.
Mafab Gets 0724 Number Series, Launches Mcom 5G Brand
NASRDA, Galaxy Space Firm Sign MoU on Satellite Connectivity
Bank Customers Petition CBN over Illegal Deductions, Demand Action
DBN Awards N13m in Grants to Tech Startups
NCC to Name, Shame Telecom Infrastructure Vandals
General News2 days agoNASRDA, Galaxy Space Firm Sign MoU on Satellite Connectivity
Telecom2 days agoOver 1m Nigerians Reached through MTN Staff’s Digital and Community Outreach
Telecom2 days agoMafab Gets 0724 Number Series, Launches Mcom 5G Brand
News2 days agoDBN Awards N13m in Grants to Tech Startups
News2 days agoFCCPC Shuts France, Belgium, and Italy Visa Centres in Abuja Over Alleged Consumer Rights Violations
News3 days agoHow and Why N210 Trillion is Missing in NNPCL – CFO
Telecom2 days agoNCC to Name, Shame Telecom Infrastructure Vandals
General News3 days agoIHS Nigeria, United Nations Global Compact Host High-Level Dialogue on Sustainability and Greener Business Practices in Nigeria