Telecom
MTN Foundation Scholarship is a Step in the Right Direction for Improving the Educational Sector – Honorable Folasade
Folasade Adefisayo, Commissioner for Education, Ministry of Education, Lagos State, has commended MTN Foundation’s scholarship programme for outstanding Nigerian students.
L-R: Director, Science and Technology, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Grace Akinfoyewa; Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya; Director, MTN Foundation, Dennis Okoro; Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, Adia Sowho and Senior Special Assistant on Education to the Governor, Lagos State, Adetola Salau, at the MTN Foundation Scholarship Award and Induction Ceremony, which held in Lagos State on April 1, 2022.
Adefisayo gave the commendation in Lagos on Friday during the 2021 MTN Foundation Scholarship Award and Induction Ceremony which held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan.
In her special address, delivered by the Director, Science and Technology, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Grace Akinfoyewa, the commissioner referred to the initiative as a step in the right direction in the pursuit of academic excellence for Nigerian students.
According to her, the Foundation has shown commitment to improving communities through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
“I sincerely appreciate the MTN Foundation for this impactful CSR project, especially in Lagos State. Indeed, this laudable initiative of awarding scholarships to young students is highly commendable for its derivable opportunities and how it aids the pursuit of academic excellence of the science and physically challenged students.
“On behalf of Lagos State I happily appreciate MTN Foundation, organisers of this initiative and wish them the best as we collaborate towards adding value to the education sector of our state and nation,” she said.
Also present at the event was Senior Special Assistant on Education to the Governor, Lagos State, Adetola Salau. She described MTN Foundation as a beacon of hope and went further to acknowledge “MTN Foundation’s commitment to empowering youth and promoting academic excellence in public institutions through the scholarships.”
MTN Scholarships, under the Youth Development Cause of MTN Foundation, is an annual award that seeks to recognize and reward qualified high performing students in Nigerian public tertiary institutions.
This year, MTN Foundation awarded 370 scholarships to outstanding Nigerian students. Three hundred students received the MTN Science and Technology Scholarship; 60 Students received the MTN Scholarship for Blind Students and the top 10 UTME candidates in 2021, received scholarships as well.
In her opening remarks, while speaking to recipients of the MTN Scholarships, Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya said hundreds of thousands of students applied for the scholarships and only the best of the best were selected.
“Ours is a scholarship that celebrates the spirit of excellence. It is a call to do more. Whenever you feel down, always remember that every year the Foundation receives hundreds of thousands of applications and you made it as a scholar,” she said.
Adia Sowho, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, who gave a keynote address at the ceremony, encouraged the scholars to continue to take risks and strive for success irrespective of failures. She said, “I love failing because within failure is a lesson that better prepares you for tomorrow. When you fail, be upset for five minutes, find the lesson, pick your feet up, and move on. Recognize failure for the tool that it is.”
It is worthy of note that the MTN Foundation has awarded over N3bn in scholarships to 4,212 students from inception to date.
Upon graduation, each scholar takes part in the MTNF Skill Up Training to ensure they are well equipped to compete and add value to Nigeria’s labour market. They are also exposed to other opportunities for training and certification from notable organizations such as Project Management Institute (PMI).
Graduate scholars are also provided with information regarding job opportunities and other information of importance to their careers.
Most Reverend Lucius Ugorji, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), the Archbishop of Owerri has raised caution on the deployment of Artificial Intelligence.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria
Ugorji called for a balance that prioritises human welfare alongside technological progress, mindful of ethics and morals, as well as risks such as job displacement, threat to world peace, spread of falsehood through propaganda, manipulation of the human person, and privacy concerns through advanced hacking and deepfakes.
The clergyman raised the concern during the ComWeek Public Lecture in Abuja on Artificial Intelligence, noting that the exclusive use of technology in religious formation, pastoral care, and education has enhanced theological knowledge, accessibility and mission of the universal church.
Keynote Speaker at the event, Father Anthony Akinwale, deputy vice chancellor of Augustine University Lagos, dismissed the speculations that the intellectual roles of humans will be replaced by Artificial Intelligence, explaining that AI relied on humans to function and did not have a mind of its own to choose to or not to obey commands with which it was programmed.
Akinwale further cautioned that AI should be solely used for the common good of mankind and not for destructive purposes.
Most Reverend David Ajang, chairman on Social communication of the Catholic Bishops Conference, called for a reflection on the power of communication as a divine gift, “one that holds the potential to bridge divides, enlighten minds and unite hearts in the pursuit of truth and common good”.
9mobile, Nigeria’s customer-centric telecommunications company has refreshed its ‘MoreBusiness ComboPak’ offerings with additional benefits to enable new and potential customers enjoy more value on calls, data, SMS and CUG for their Businesses.
The ‘MoreBusiness ComboPak’ product offering is a flexible and customizable plan with an array of add-on services. The plan gives customers benefits of extra cost-saving tariff within the bundle, and 100% bonus data upon repurchase of select bundles.
With the update, 9mobile customers on this plan will also enjoy free incoming calls while roaming on select networks in the following 10 countries: UK, UAE, South Africa, Kenya, Spain, Egypt, France, Germany, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia when they recharge ₦5,000 and above in a month.
A further benefit of the plan is the ‘Add-on solutions’. With this, companies and institutions will enjoy seamless business operations’ continuity and optimization through Close User Group (CUG), Fleet Tracking, Cloud PBX, Cloud Services, and Device Financing. Others are International Call Bundles, Roaming Bundles, and Special International Destinations Calling.
Commenting on the development, Nneka Owolabi, Director Enterprise Business, highlighted the telco’s unwavering commitment to ensure customers and subscribers enjoy premium customer experience, and wholesome value for their subscription on the 9mobile network.
“At 9mobile we have proven time and again that premium customer experience is important for us. It is the essence of our operations. That is why we have reintroduced the ‘MoreBusiness ComboPak’ for customers and subscribers, particularly businesses to enjoy value for their loyalty to us, and upscale their businesses”, he said.
Owolabi also stated that the ComboPak combines all business needs in one affordable bundle with cheaper voice calls, data subscription, SMS, and CUG, saying “It’s a ComboPak offering that keeps you, and your business stay ahead of trend”.
“What 9mobile ‘MoreBusiness ComboPak’ does is to create and sustain an ecosystem where people, in this case, customers and subscribers, and businesses run systematically with a combination of our tools efficiently. This is certain to revolutionize the way Nigerians communicate, stay connected, and transact businesses effectively”.
Subscribers to ‘MoreBusiness ComboPak’ plan will enjoy unique voice calls, SMS & data.
The service allows flexibility to move across packages based on your needs. For ₦1,000 ComboBasic bundle cost, customers will dial *246*4*33# to enjoy 60k/MB Browsing, 12k/sec in bundle calls, 12k/sec out of bundle calls, ₦2.60/SMS, and CUG; while for ₦1,000 ComboValue bundle cost, customers will dial *246*4*30# to enjoy 700MB, 30 National call minutes, 11k/sec out of bundle calls, 10 National SMS, and CUG.
For customers with ₦2,000 ComboPremier bundle cost, all they need to do is to dial *246*4*33# to enjoy 2.1GB, 60 National call minutes, 11k/sec out of bundle calls, 25 National SMS, and CUG. Customers subscribing to ₦5,000 ComboBlack bundle cost will enjoy benefits of 7GB, 300 National call minutes, 11k/sec out of bundle calls, 25 National SMS, and CUG.
The unique value adds on the ‘MoreBusiness ComboPak’ plan for customers also includes: Bundled Plans – for customers to enjoy flexible and customizable plans with an array of add-on services, and extra cost saving tariff within bundle.
Unlimited Add-ons – this is Add-on solutions – include CUG, Fleet Tracking, Cloud PBX, Cloud Services, Device Financing, Shared Data, International call bundles, Roaming Bundles, and Special International Destinations Calling, for customers.
This is in addition, to free data offer which is a 100% bonus data upon repurchase of select bundles.
Convenience has been embedded into the ComboPak plan for Subscribers also to check account balance by dialling *310#, and data balance by dialling *323#, while migration or opting out of the plan is absolutely free.
MTN Nigeria’s Company Secretary, Uto Ukpanah, is the first ever winner of the “Global Corporate Secretary of the Year” award by the Corporate Secretaries International Association (CSIA). She was honoured with the award at an event on April 23rd, 2024, in Kuala, Lumpur, Malaysia.
The CSIA Global Awards was instituted to recognise the efforts of corporate secretaries and governance professionals that not only impact their organizations but also international platforms. Of the three main award categories- Global Corporate Secretary of the Year, Rising Corporate Secretary of the Year and Governance Professional of the Year, Uto was awarded the Global Corporate Secretary of the Year for her hard work, diligence and professionalism by a distinguished jury of expert practitioners and thought leaders in the corporate governance field.
Karl Toriola, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria congratulating her on the recognition said, “At MTN, we understand the critical role strong governance plays in driving sustainable growth and fostering trust among stakeholders. Uto’s exemplary leadership underscores our commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency. We are proud of Uto’s commitment to corporate governance. She deserves the recognition.”
Ukpanah, the pioneer winner of this award has worked with MTN Nigeria for over 18 years. She is a corporate lawyer with extensive experience in company and commercial law. Her contributions in developing sustainable corporate governance structures in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors have been instrumental in fostering transparency and ethical business practices.
Ukpanah’s dedication to ethics and corporate social responsibility advisory services has positioned her as a respected leader in the industry, driving positive change and setting high standards for corporate excellence. This is seen in her active participation on the ‘Code of Corporate Governance Committee,’ ‘9to5 Woman,’ ‘Bankers Committee on Corporate Governance’, among others.
CAC Says Operating PoS without Registration is Criminal Offence
CBN Unveils List of Licensed Deposit Money Banks
Catholic Bishops Raise Caution on Use of Artificial Intelligence
SEC Bans to Person-to-Person Cryptocurrency Trading to Protect the Naira
Presidential Committee Recommends another Hike in VAT
CBN Sacks another 50 Staff, 117 Disengaged in 20 Days
AfDB, AGF Partner on Female Entrepreneurs’ Access to Finance
IMF says Rising Cyber Threats Pose Serious Concerns for Financial Stability
Sun International Finalizes $14.4M Exit from Nigeria, Sells Interests to RFC
Financial Firms Lost $2.5Bn To Cyberattacks in 4 Years – IMF
News3 days agoNigeria Seeks Alliance with Sweden to Strengthen Digital Economy
Telecom3 days agoNigeria May Re-introduce Telecom Tax to Obtain new $750m World Bank Loan
Telecom3 days agoGoogle and African Union Partner to Launch #DiscoverMyAfrica
E-Financial3 days agoCBN Orders Banks to Charge 0.5 Percent Cybersecurity Levy
News2 days agoBinance Alleges Request of $150m Bribe by Some Nigerian Officials
Telecom2 days agoSIM Boxing, And the Unboxing of Crime Syndicate
News2 days agoWhat We Can Learn from Africa’s Small Business Success Stories
News2 days agoShell Nigeria Paid $1.09Bn in Taxes, Royalties in 2023