Telecom
FG Authorizes the Establishment of ICT Academy in 6 Geopolitical Zones
The Federal Government has approved the creation of ICT Academy in schools within the six geopolitical zones of the country to fast-track the innovations of students.
Malam Adamu Adamu, Minister of Education, said this at the inauguration of the UNITeS CISCO Internet of Things (IoT) Networking Academy at the Federal Government Girls College, Bwari on Friday.
Mr Sonny Echono, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, who represented the minister said as part of the initiative to fast-track ICT innovations among children, the gesture was apt as it would help transfer knowledge for the future endeavours of the students.
The IoT is the inter-networking of physical devices, vehicles (also referred to as ‘connected devices’ and ‘smart devices’), building, and other items embedded with electronics, software and network connectivity.
It is an ever growing network of physical objects with IP address for internet connectivity, and communication that occurs between them and other internet-enabled devices.
Adamu said that the gesture was also aimed at promoting the development of ICT in education through transfer of knowledge.
“As part of the ministry’s initiative to develop talents, it has approved the establishment of UNITeS Cisco Academy in the six geo-political zones of the country.
“The facility would also be located at the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Bwari; Queens College, Lagos; Federal Government College (FGC), Enugu; FGC Bauchi; FGC Benin, and FGC Kano,” he said.
The minister said the initiative had also been approved in all federal unity colleges across the country.
He added that these centres would serve as a hub for open innovation to showcase talents and skills of the children.
He said it would also offer an infinite possibility for the children’s future endeavours.
He appealed to the students to begin to think of useful ways of engaging in internet productively rather than involving in criminal act through the internet.
He said that doing this would help the children use the technology to achieve the human development of the country.
Earlier, Mrs Stella Omu, Principal, FGGC Bwari, said the centre would afford the opportunity for young minds to become professionals outside their future choices of study.
She said that it would also leverage on the unique knowledge and experiences from IoT and getting connected to make lives better and society more developed.
Mr Toyin Olatayo, the Cisco Academy Support Contact, said the centre if properly harnessed, would transform the school into a smart school teaching and learning.
Olatayo stressed that the academy had made arrangement to establish the network of IoT innovation centres in secondary schools and universities across the country.
SHELT, a leading cybersecurity-as-a-service provider, has earned inclusion in the 2025 MSSP 250, the annual ranking of the world’s top 250 Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) by MSSP Alert, a CyberRisk Alliance publication.
SHELT
The list evaluates firms on business performance, service breadth, and industry impact, spotlighting those excelling in growth, operational excellence, and advanced managed security amid rising cyber threats. Selection criteria include annual recurring revenue, profitability, workforce expansion, business growth, and the depth of managed security offerings.
SHELT’s recognition underscores its investments in scalable security operations, threat intelligence, and tailored managed services across multiple regions, enabling clients to navigate complex risk landscapes effectively.
“Being recognised in the MSSP 250 is a meaningful milestone for our team,” stated Youssef Abillama, CEO of SHELT. “It validates our focus on building practical, resilient security services that help organisations manage risk and respond effectively to today’s evolving cyber threats.”
The company hailed the honour as testament to its teams’ dedication and expertise worldwide, reaffirming commitment to enhancing capabilities and delivering trusted cybersecurity solutions.
Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook, has appointed Dina Powell McCormick, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, as its new president and vice chairman, bolstering its leadership amid aggressive AI and infrastructure expansion.
Dina Powell McCormick
The announcement, made on Monday, positions Powell McCormick – who recently stepped down from Meta’s board after eight months – to guide overall strategy, including multi-billion-dollar investments in data centres and global partnerships.
A Goldman Sachs veteran with 16 years in senior roles and prior stints as deputy national security adviser under Trump and in the Bush administration, she brings deep finance and international ties to the role.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hailed her as “uniquely qualified” for the company’s next growth phase, while President Trump praised the move on Truth Social as a “fantastic choice”.
The hire signals Meta’s efforts to strengthen White House relations, following recent dinners with Trump and U.S. investment pledges worth hundreds of billions
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has suspended the @Twitter account, replacing its profile with a standard notice citing violation of platform rules.
Musk
The action, which occurred on Sunday, January 11, left users encountering the handle greeted by a bold “Account Suspended” message on a black screen, with no details provided on the specific rules broken or the duration of the suspension.
The development has sparked widespread confusion and nostalgia among users, given that Elon Musk rebranded Twitter to X in July 2023, approximately six months after acquiring the platform for $44 billion in late 2022.
The @Twitter handle had remained dormant since before Musk’s takeover, serving as a legacy remnant of the platform’s original branding, and its suspension appears to mark the final erasure of the Twitter name amid X’s ongoing efforts to combat spam, impersonation, and rule violations.
X’s official statement on the suspended page simply reads: “X suspends accounts that violate our rules,” without offering an appeal process or further explanation, unlike standard user suspensions.
Public reactions on social media ranged from humorous laments of “RIP Twitter” to speculation that the move resulted from automated moderation or a deliberate cleanup of legacy trademarks.
xAI’s Grok AI described it as a purposeful retirement of outdated elements rather than a genuine infraction, while neither Elon Musk nor X spokespeople issued any comment as of Monday morning.
This incident underscores the evolving identity of the platform under Musk’s ownership, which also saw a domain shift to x.com in 2024, further distancing it from its Twitter roots.
Industry observers note that while the suspension aligns with X’s stricter enforcement policies, the lack of transparency has fueled debates on consistency in applying rules to high-profile legacy accounts.
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