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Wardchat Opens Operation in Nigeria, Pledges to Strengthen & Empower Electoral Community

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L-R:   Kunle Lawal- Country lead, Wardchat  , Akin Savage- Entrepreneur , Akin Braithwaite- BOT Secretary (ADC)and  Uwa Saleh- TV producer/Anchor and other distinguished guests at the official launch of Wardchat held at Four Point Hotel on Friday 8th,2022. 
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Wardchat, a Nigerian non-partisan social network connecting voters from the same polling unit, ward, local government and state across the country has been launched in the country.

L-R:   Kunle Lawal- Country lead, Wardchat  , Akin Savage- Entrepreneur , Akin Braithwaite- BOT Secretary (ADC)and  Uwa Saleh- TV producer/Anchor and other distinguished guests at the official launch of Wardchat held at Four Point Hotel on Friday 8th,2022.

According to Kunle Lawal, Country Lead, Wardchat, during the official launch of the app, Wardchat is the World’s 1st social network purposely built for an electoral community.

“It is an effective and smart social network with custom features built on Nigeria’s electoral structure covering 36 states and the FCT, 774 Local Governments, 8000 wards and over 176,000 polling units across the nation”.

He explained that most of the tech apps coming into the Nigerian  market are Fintech, Mobility, Insurtech, EdTech but Wardchat is the only custom-built tech app aimed at digitizing the electoral space for proximal relationships using the smallest Electoral unit as a determinant during registration.

“We will play in the social media space where we have the foreign big techs like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Opera News hub.

“But what makes us different is the niche market we would be serving, which is Nigeria’s electoral community of over 73 million registered voters and over 120 million above voting age, our features are built for Nigeria’s electoral structure which isn’t an afterthought.

“As of today, only Wardchat creates connections by matching user’s electoral profiles thereby helping to foster engagement among voters that lead to better electoral outcomes, targeted audience conversations and ward-centric conversations”, Lawal stated.

He said the major insight that informed the development of the app was the realization that every polling unit is a community of voters that should connect and interact more as voters, no matter how dispersed they may be.

On whether the app will change the way  people would vote or collect PVC for the upcoming election, Wardchat Country Lead said, “Firstly, Wardchat has been created with a long-term vision and not necessarily for the upcoming election.

“We are just happy this is coming at the right time for the 2023 elections for a peek into what the product can potentially become.

“We do not want to change the way people vote. We want to facilitate and create relationships among voters that will enable them to influence each other and collaborate for more informed electoral choices.

“We believe that developing rapport and trust among voters at the ward level is a critical aspect of persuasion to end voter apathy and unfriendly debates in our electoral space.”

Speaking on the company’s growth plan, Lawal stated that Wardchat aims to have 7million voters onboarded on the app in 5 years.

“That is less than 10% of the voting population so we believe it is doable. In the run up to the 2023 elections, our target is to get to 1million sign ups on the platform with over 1.5million content generated.”

He added that Wardchat plans to sign up a sizable number of voters that can use its amazing app features for incidence reporting, election monitoring, voter education, random polling and political campaigns, at no costs to them.

“We also plan to deploy a feature that will allow users report results from their polling units, and these will be collated and reported on a dashboard available for all users of the platform to see.”

In her presentation on the features of the app, Ms. Faith Ariori explained that during the app development process, the company realized the need to address some of the concerns already prevalent in the social media space, especially on data privacy and protection of users from hate speech and any form of harm. “So for example, we made electoral information optional for users to select while signing up. It is best to fill in this information but not mandatory.

We also deployed Usernames and not Full names for signups, so users can remain anonymous if they so wish. Phone numbers are also optional.

“On spread of fake news and hate speech, built within the app is a newsfeed of respected, trusted and reputable online and traditional media from where members can share news across wards, states and local governments on the platform.

“We also have flags and blocking mechanisms for users to flag abusive posts which are then auto removed from your feed and block users they consider toxic.”

 

 


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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

General News

EFCC Detains Ayeni, Ex-Skye Bank Chairman over Alleged N36.5Bn, $30m Fraud

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Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has detained Tunde Ayeni, former chairman of defunct Skye Bank Plc, for alleged fraud involving N36.5 billion and $30 million.

EFCC Detains Ayeni, Ex-Skye Bank Chairman over Alleged N36.5Bn, $30m Fraud

Tunde Ayeni, former chairman of defunct Skye Bank Plc,

This follows the probe of alleged diversion of N36.5 billion and $30 million secured as loans from Polaris Bank Plc through companies linked to Ayeni.

He was arrested by EFCC operatives in Abuja on April 23, 2026, and is still been held in custody as at the time of filling the report.

Dele Oyewale, spokesperson, EFCC, confirmed the arrest on Friday but declined to provide further details.

Ayeni is under investigation for diverting funds obtained for marine security, electricity distribution, and real estate projects into other unknown projects.

Investigators allege the loans were instead channelled into telecom investments tied to NITEL/MTEL assets via a NATCOM account.

About 12 firms believed to be connected to Ayeni are also under investigation for their role in securing the loans.

The EFCC is expected to file charges once the investigation is concluded.


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Summit Factory Opens in Ogun, Targets Hygiene Market Expansion

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L-r: Sadiq Ali, General Manager, Summit Household Solutions Limited; Oba Abdulakeem Odunaro, Onikotun of Otun, Ota; Hon. Wasiu Adewale Lawal (FCA), Executive Chairman of Ado-Odo/Ota LGA; Mr Kehinde Akintomide, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Investment, Ogun State; and Mojeed Maaradesa, Manufacturing Manager, during the commissioning of the ultra-modern factory by Summit Household Solutions Limited in Ota on Thursday.
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Summit Household Solutions Limited has opened its ultra-modern manufacturing facility in Ota, Ogun State, as part of its efforts to scale production of home and personal care products in Nigeria.

The plant, which started operations in April 2025, produces items such as dishwashing liquids, handwash, sanitisers and multipurpose liquid soaps, with an annual capacity estimated at 7,000 tonnes.

Commissioning the facility on behalf of Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Investment, Mr Kehinde Akintomide, said the investment reflects growing confidence in Ogun State’s business environment.

He noted that the state hosts over 6,000 manufacturing firms and described the development as consistent with ongoing efforts to promote industrialisation, attract investment and reduce reliance on imports under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope initiative.

Akintomide disclosed that the factory has already employed more than 50 Nigerians, with projections to exceed 250 jobs as operations expand.

In his remarks, the General Manager of the company, Mr Sadiq Ali, said the facility represents a major step in Summit’s growth plans, adding that its flagship brand, 2Sure, currently leads production at the plant.

He also revealed that the company is preparing to introduce new home and personal care products later this year.

Summit Household Solutions manufactures the 2Sure brand and has expanded into the personal care segment with Lewar, a premium beauty soap line positioned for quality and affordability.

Among dignitaries present were the Onikotun of Otun, Ota, Oba Abdulakeem Odunaro, representing the Olota of Ota, Prof. Adeyemi Abdulkabir Obalanlege; the Agba Akin of Ota, Chief Dada Olusola; Director of Investment, Ms Yemisi Folarin; Director of Industrial Promotion, Mr Femi Adeboye; former Managing Director of 7Up Bottling Company, Mr Ziad Maalouf; and the Chief Executive Officer of OmniRetail, Mr Deepanker Rustagi.

Speaking at the event, Maalouf, who conceived the 2Sure brand during his time at 7Up Bottling Company, expressed satisfaction with its growth and commended Summit Solutions Limited for advancing the brand.

The special guests were conducted around the facility, and the programme was concluded with a luncheon.

 


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Airtel Africa Foundation Calls for Applications for “DigiLeap” Tech Training for Young Women

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The Airtel Africa Foundation, through Airtel Nigeria, has officially opened the application portal for the DigiLeap Tech Drive, a core initiative in the Foundation’s digital inclusion agenda. The application portal will be open until 8th May 2026.

Targeting 200 underserved young women in the Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State, the programme is designed to bridge the gender divide in the digital economy by providing intensive, industry-standard technical and digital literacy training at no cost to the beneficiaries.

The DigiLeap Tech Drive is a strategic collaboration between the Airtel Africa Foundation, the ISHK Tolaram Foundation, and Co-Creation Hub (CcHub), with implementation carried out by the SAIL Innovation Lab, a leading centre for digital talent development in Nigeria.

Strategically engineered to transform high-potential individuals into workforce-ready professionals, this high-impact project will provide technical instruction, mentorship, and job-placement linkages, directly tackling regional unemployment and the systemic underrepresentation of women in the global technology sector.

Commenting on the project, Dr Segun Ogunsanya, Chairman of the Airtel Africa Foundation, emphasised that the partnership between the Foundation, Ishk Tolaram, and CcHub is central to the Foundation’s holistic mission of advancing both digital and gender inclusion across the continent.

“Our mission at the Airtel Africa Foundation is to accelerate digital inclusion across the continent,” he said. “By bringing the DigiLeap Tech Drive to the women of Ikorodu alongside Ishk Tolaram and CcHub, we are providing 200 young women with a definitive competitive advantage in the modern economy. This initiative ensures the digital revolution is truly inclusive; it isn’t merely a training session, but a professional pipeline designed to transition these women directly into internships and sustainable careers.”

In his remarks on the flag-off, Dinesh Balsingh, Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, highlighted Airtel’s dedication to ensuring that women are integrated into the country’s rapidly evolving digital economy.

“At Airtel Nigeria, we believe that empowering women with digital skills is a fundamental catalyst for national economic growth. With the DigiLeap tech training, we are creating a sustainable pathway for young women in underserved communities to move from the sidelines of the digital economy into the heart of the tech workforce. This initiative reflects our deep-rooted commitment to social impact and our belief that when women lead in technology, entire communities thrive,” he said.

Focusing on industry-standard competencies that enhance both employability and entrepreneurship readiness, application entry into the programme is now live and open to women aged 18–35 living in Ikorodu.

 


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