News
Muhammadu Indimi Foundation Builds N600m Solar-Powered Village for IDPs
By ugo onwuaso
The Muhammadu Indimi Foundation, a humanitarian organisation founded by Alhaji (Dr) Muhammadu Indimi, has announced the construction of N600m solar-powered village consisting of 100 units of 3-room houses for persons displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State.
Situated in Bama, one of the worst hit communities in the state capital, the Muhammadu Indimi Village will provide 100 houses for 100 families.
Each 3-room house has a toilet, bathroom and kitchen. The village also features 5 blocks of classrooms, a fully-equipped health centre, an open-shed market to revive lucrative trade among the inhabitants, sport facilities for the children and an incinerator.
The Muhammadu Indimi Foundation recognises the transformative power that this initiative could have on the people of Borno state.
Alhaji (Dr) Indimi said, “Following the trauma the people have been through, we will spare no resource to restore hope, healing, and lay a lasting foundation for growth. It is a well-known fact that our greatest strength as a country lies in our people and our resilience in the face of numerous day-to-day challenges. Through our modest activities and initiatives, we hope to contribute to the alleviation of poverty in our communities and unlock Northern Nigeria’s potential. The Muhammadu Indimi Village Bama is one of the many steps we have taken in contributing to building better lives for our people.”
Dr. Indimi also revealed that the Foundation plans to replicate the 100-unit village in Ngala local government area of Borno state, another community where thousands of families had fled their homes and lost their means of livelihood.
“None of these resettlement solutions would be possible today, without the unflinching support of His Excellency, Hon. Kashim Shettima. The Borno state government donated the land for the housing projects in Bama and Ngala. We really appreciate the tremendous support and cooperation that we have received from the government and good people of Borno State,” Indimi said.
Speaking at the flag off ceremony, Kashim Shettima, the Borno state governor, said, “Alh. (Dr) Indimi OFR is undoubtedly an inspiring model of impeccable business integrity and unbounded humanitarian activities.
He has continued to identify with our values, challenges and predicament. His decision to embark on a multimillionaire project of 100 units of housing for the victims in Bama is a specific case in point. The fundamental reasons Alh. (Dr) Indimi is selectively choosing both towns have to do with Bama being the worst affected LGA in Borno and he cut his business teeth in Ngala. We want to thank Alh. (Dr) Indimi for his generosity of spirit and for fiercely identifying with his people. I wish to unequivocally commend this magnanimous undertaking and commitment of the Muhammadu Indimi Foundation. We deeply appreciate the humanitarian gesture of the chairman, in the resettlement of IDPs in Borno state. Alh. (Dr) Indimi is a renowned and worthy son of Borno, indeed one of the greatest.”
The Muhammadu Indimi Village, commenced in July 2017 with locally sourced manpower. A total of 157 Borno indigenes have been actively involved in the construction. The project is being managed by Cadis Construction, an indigenous construction and real estate development company delivering specialized engineering solutions and consultancy services. The Muhammadu Indimi Village is due for completion in December.
The focus of the Foundation is purposeful and proactive investments in education, food, shelter, crisis relief, rehabilitation and empowerment. Since inception, thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and families have benefitted from these initiatives.
Indimi is the executive chairman of Oriental Energy Resources Limited. To flag off the project, more than 100 dignitaries in Borno State gathered at the Government House in Maiduguri on 12 October 2017, with Kashim Shettima, the executive governor of Borno State, as special guest of honour.
Also in attendance were the Shehu of Dikwa HRH Alh. Muhammed Ibn Mustafa II Al-Amin El-Kanemi and Emir of Bama HRH Alh. Kyari Ibn Umar Al-Amin El-Kanemi.
Other dignitaries included elders, the state House of Assembly members, special advisers, commissioners, service chiefs, senior special assistants and top-ranking politicians.
Accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption could increase Africa’s GDP by up to 4% over the next decade, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In a report released on Tuesday, titled Africa Can Grow Faster With AI—If It Moves Now, economists from the IMF’s Africa Department say current levels of AI adoption and utilisation are expected to contribute just 0.2% to the region’s GDP over the next 10 years.
However, the report says stronger adoption, supported by the right infrastructure and policies, could raise the economic impact to about 4% by extending AI beyond today’s digitally connected firms.
Martin Schindler and other IMF economists say: “AI adoption in sub-Saharan Africa currently lags well behind every other region. If richer economies race ahead while African firms and governments lag, the productivity gap between the region and the rest of the world will only widen.”
Early signs of AI adoption are emerging across Africa, with countries including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria developing AI strategies.
Telecommunications operators, including Vodacom, Econet, Africell and MTN, are also integrating AI into their operations and networks.
Other examples include chatbots supporting teaching and learning in Nigeria and the South African Revenue Service’s use of data analytics for targeted tax audits.
However, the IMF says AI adoption must extend beyond these early use cases to deliver meaningful economic benefits.
“For the region, AI’s main promise is not about replacing office workers, but boosting productivity across the economy—helping informal firms manage inventory, enabling farmers to increase yields, and supporting mid-sized firms to transition to formality and export readiness,” the report reads.
The IMF is urging governments to prioritise investment in reliable electricity, affordable broadband, data infrastructure and digital skills to support wider AI adoption.
Many African countries, including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, continue to face electricity shortages, while broadband services remain costly and coverage is uneven.
The Fund believes stronger investment in power, connectivity, regional data infrastructure and digital skills would help unlock AI’s economic potential.
National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced the nationwide digital registration of births and deaths under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system to strengthen legal identity management and improve demographic data.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lokoja on Tuesday, Mr Afolabi Yori, federal commissioner representing Kogi, said the initiative became operational nationwide on July 1, through the VitalReg platform.
Yori described the development as a landmark in Nigeria’s civil registration system, noting that it would modernise birth and death registration through a technology-driven platform that meets international standards.
He said the digital platform would improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and ensure that every birth and death occurring in Nigeria was accurately documented and securely stored.
According to him, civil registration is more than an administrative process, as it provides reliable statistics that support public policy formulation, resource allocation and national development planning.
“Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, yet millions of births and deaths remain unregistered.
“Birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 per cent,” he said.
The commissioner said that the commission had established 4,011 functional registration centres across the country’s 774 local government areas and was working to expand the number to about 8,000.
He added that the commission was strengthening collaboration with stakeholders to improve the capacity of registration personnel and ensure prompt documentation of vital events through the VitalReg platform.
Yori said the platform would provide faster registration services, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, and reduce paperwork, waiting time and unnecessary travel.
He disclosed that the platform was being operated under a Public-Private Partnership with Barnks-forte Technologies Ltd. as the commission’s technical partner to ensure system availability, cybersecurity and continuous technological improvement.
He called on parents, healthcare institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners and the media to support the initiative by encouraging the prompt registration of births and deaths.
Earlier, Samuel Omonakpeme, director in Kogi, NPC State, described the commencement of the digital registration system as another milestone in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system.
Omonakpeme stated that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 16.9, which seeks to provide legal identity for all.
He appreciated the Federal Government, the leadership of the commission, UNICEF and other development partners for supporting the implementation of the initiative.
The state director also urged parents, guardians, health institutions, community leaders, religious organisations and the media to mobilise public support for the timely registration of all births and deaths.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that ICT personnel of the commission, led by Ehimoni Kolawole, conducted a live demonstration of the digital birth registration process using the VitalReg platform.
The demonstration showed that the registration process captures the biodata of both parents, while at least one parent must possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN) to complete the registration of a newborn.
Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) has alerted its customers to a fraudulent message circulating on social media, falsely claiming that electricity consumers can receive an additional 20 per cent bonus units when recharging their prepaid meters through unofficial channels.
In a statement issued by the company’s management on Monday, YEDC described the claim as false and urged customers to disregard the misleading information, stressing that it did not originate from the company.
According to the statement, YEDC does not offer bonus electricity units through individuals, agents, personal bank accounts, phone numbers, or social media contacts.
The company advised customers to purchase electricity tokens only through approved cashless payment platforms, including the YEDC Pay App, OPay, Interswitch, and other authorised vending channels, or to visit the nearest YEDC office for assistance.
YEDC also cautioned customers against sharing their meter details or personal information, or making payments to unauthorised persons claiming to represent the company.
The company further urged customers to rely exclusively on information disseminated through its official communication channels to avoid falling victim to fraud.
The management thanked customers for their continued cooperation and reaffirmed its commitment to serving them.
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