Telecom
Imoke Commends Airtel’s Role in Educational Development
Senator Liyel Imoke, Cross River State Governor has commended Airtel Nigeria, leading telecommunications operator for playing a crucial role in the development of primary education across the country.
Governor Imoke who spoke during the commissioning ceremony of one of Airtel’s adopted schools in Cross River State, Presbyterian Primary School 2, Ediba in Abi Local Government Area, showered encomiums on the Telco for partnering with the state in improving the standard of education.
The Governor, who was represented by Professor Offiong E Offiong, his Commissioner for Education, specifically, thanked Airtel for the transformation of the school complex and donations to the pupils and teachers of the primary school, describing the company as a quality organization that ensures the best quality in anything it does.
His words, “The Adopt-a-School programme we all know is one laudable venture designed to impact positively on the academic lives of our children. This collaborative effort by Airtel Nigeria therefore is indeed a much cherished one that will go a long way to assist the State Government realize its vision for the Education Sector.
“We remain very grateful to Airtel and I want to urge the entire community of Ediba to ensure that adequate security is provided for the school for maximum utilization,” he said.”
Also speaking at the event, Mrs Maria Riman, head teacher, Presbyterian Primary School 2, expressed appreciation to the management and staff of Airtel Nigeria, saying the Telco Operator has restored joy, pride and dignity to the school and the entire Ediba Community.
“Today, we are joyous that the work which started in early August 2012 has been completed and is being celebrated. In addition to the renovation and transformation of the school premises, Airtel has also provided benches, tables and chairs. “It is, therefore, not surprising that today is one of the happiest days for our school. We pray that the Good Lord should continue to bless the Management and Staff of Airtel for this kind gesture,” she said.
In his remarks, Segun Ogunsanya, Airtel’s chief executive officer and Managing Director, who was represented by the company’s Regional Operations Director, South Region, Godfrey Efeurhobo, said the telecoms operator is committed to its strategic partnerships with governments and organizations to uplift the standard of primary education in the country. “We are delighted to partner with the government and people of Cross River State in their quest to chart a new course for the development of education.
“Without a doubt, quality education offers children the best opportunity in life to realise their dreams and become the leaders of tomorrow. A great environment is also critical to the development of a sound mind. It is, therefore, in recognition of the importance of education and as part our Corporate Social Responsibility initiative that we have committed to the adoption of public primary schools across Nigeria,” he said.
Airtel’s commissioning of Presbyterian Primary School 2 is coming barely two months after a similar project was commissioned in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State with Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, wife of the state Governor unveiling the commissioning plaque with support from state Government officials, education authorities and the traditional institutions.
The Presbyterian Primary School 2 was adopted last year and reconstructed to wear a modern look while pupils and teachers of the school were provided a conducive learning environment equipped with modern facilities and teaching aids.
Airtel also provided branded school bags and furniture for the pupils and members of staff. The event was attended by top local chiefs including the Ovia Usa of Ediba, Ovia G.B Egbe; Ovia Ubi William of Ediba West and representative of Abi Local Council Chairman, Comrade Ibi Eko Edu. Airtel staff at the event included Zonal Business Manager, South East, Onyekwucha Ikezu; Regional Marketing Manager, South Region, Airtel Nigeria, Dipo Jolaosho, CSR Manager, Airtel Nigeria, Chinda Manjor and Media Relations Manager, Erhumu Bayagbon.
The adopted school is part of Airtel’s umbrella CSR program which focuses on the education of underprivileged children in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education. It also aims at uplifting the standard of primary education across Nigeria.
It would be recalled that the telecoms operator, upon commencement of operations in Nigeria, flagged off the Adopt-A-School programme with the multi-million naira ultra-modern blocks of classrooms, offices and lavatory facilities at Oremeji Primary School, Ajegunle in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos.
Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) has named the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) among the top three Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government with the Best Ranking in Website Performance for 2025.
L-R: Head Special Projects, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Salamatu Andu; Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Engr. Abaraham Oshadame; Director General Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Head Customer Support Service, Galaxy Backbone, Rosemary Ehize; Secretary to the ES. Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Tahir Aminu at the BPSR award ceremony for top four MDAs in BPSR Website Performance and Ranking 2025 at the BPSR office on Tuesday, 23rd December, 2025.
This is coming barely three weeks after the telecom regulator was recognized as one of the top five best-performing Federal Government agencies for 2025 by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – a testament to the Commission’s consistency in investment in technology for ensuring efficient service delivery.
In the BPSR 2024/2025 scorecard ranking of agencies’ websites, the NCC came second in the ranking, trailing behind Galaxy Backbone Limited, which came first while the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) clinched the third position, from a pool of 235 MDAs, whose website were evaluated.
BPSR deployed 14 evaluation criteria in include MDA’s website compliance with .gov.ng domain name, appearance and aesthetics (look and feel) of the website, content, relevance to MDAs mandate/government policy and the website’ structure.
Others include website’s responsiveness (device compatibility), security, load time, usability/ease of navigation, availability/uptime, functionality, interactivity, accessibility and capacity building.
The recognition was announced at the official release of Federal Government 2024/2025 Scorecard Ranking for MDAs’ Website held at the Federal Ministry of Finance Auditorium in Abuja on Monday (December 22, 2025) while the award presentation took place at BPSR’s Office on Tuesday (December 23, 2025).
The award, which is an important index metric of the National e-Government Masterplan for determining the Nigeria e-Government Status, was received by the Commission in recognition of its commitment to maintaining a world-class website that enhances service delivery to the citizens.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, the NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, appreciated the BPSR for the recognition, describing the award as “another encouragement for the Commission to be a better public service institution leveraging digital platforms such as our web presence to enhance public service delivery to our various stakeholders, thereby implementing the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy direction.”
While presenting the award to the NCC, alongside other two agencies, BPSR’s Director-General, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, commended the top three for their proactive decisions in maintaining world-class websites, which are compliant with the Federal Government’s policy direction in effective and efficient service delivery to the citizens.
According to the DG, the 2024/2025 MDA’s websites’ ranking represents a collective effort of federal public institutions in Nigeria to be transparent, accountable and open in governance, as well as a confirmation to align with global best practices in service delivery to the citizens.
Developed about six years ago, Arabi said as a result of the annual ranking, more public institutions have indicated readiness to embrace reforms, and align with the policy direction of the current administration’s Renewed Hope agenda on improve governance for effective service delivery, as introduced by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The ideals of harnessing and deploying technological tools for service delivery has become imperative following the COVID pandemic, and distortions of socio-economic system of nations, culminating in the evolution of competitiveness, cost effectiveness, and agile governance.
“As engine room of governance, it behoves on us in the public service to perform our statutory duties and we must put in place technological innovations and standardized websites to operate services as well as deliver service needs to citizens,” he said.
The Scorecard exercise, he said, is part of the BPSR reform broader function of conducting research on reform implementation efforts and presenting ‘best practice’ models to the entire Public Service, and to among others, improve access to government information, facilitate seamless financial transaction, eliminate corruption and cyber theft, as well as facilitate access to government services.
Speaking on the rigorous nature of the exercise that produced the top three winners, the DG said “in the past few weeks members of the Scorecard Jury drawn from inter-Ministerial Agencies, had worked tirelessly to mill websites of selected MDAs through a rigorous process of enduring criteria for the ranking and the outcome had also passed through a quality assurance mechanism to validate the outcome.”
Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has dismissed reports that bank accounts not linked to a Tax Identification Number (TIN) will be frozen or automatically debited from January 1, 2026.
Taiwo Oyedele
Oyedele described the claims as false and misleading, warning Nigerians against panic over misinformation surrounding recent tax and financial reforms.
In a post on his X handle Tuesday morning, he wrote: “Don’t let anyone manipulate you. Your bank account is safe. Misinformation makes you panic and fear a reform that is designed to help you.
“When they tell you that your account will be frozen or automatically debited from January 2026, ask them for the evidence in the new law. Be wise.”
He stressed that no provision in the new tax laws authorises the freezing of bank accounts, adding that the rumours are part of widespread misrepresentation of the reforms.
The committee chairman reiterated that the reforms are intended to simplify Nigeria’s tax system and ease the burden on ordinary citizens, not to impose punitive measures on bank customers.
US tech giant, Amazon has disclosed that it blocked more than 1,800 North Koreans from applying for jobs, amid growing concerns that Pyongyang is deploying large numbers of IT workers overseas to earn and launder funds.
Amazon
In a LinkedIn post, Amazon’s Chief Security Officer, Stephen Schmidt, said North Korean nationals have been attempting to secure remote IT roles with companies around the world, particularly in the United States.
He noted that the company recorded nearly a one-third increase in such applications over the past year.
According to Schmidt, many of the applicants operate through so-called “laptop farms” — computers physically located in the US but remotely controlled from abroad.
He warned that the issue is not unique to Amazon and is likely occurring at scale across the tech industry.
He added that common red flags include incorrectly formatted phone numbers and questionable academic credentials.
The issue has previously drawn the attention of US authorities. In July, a woman in Arizona was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for running a laptop farm that helped North Korean IT workers obtain remote jobs at more than 300 US companies.
Officials said the scheme generated over $17 million in revenue for both the woman and North Korea.
Last year, South Korea’s intelligence agency also warned that North Korean operatives were using LinkedIn to pose as recruiters, approaching South Koreans working at defence companies in an attempt to steal sensitive technological information.
“North Korea is actively training cyber personnel and infiltrating key locations worldwide,” Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP.
He added that, given Amazon’s business model, the motivation behind such operations is largely economic, with a high likelihood of attempts to steal financial assets.
North Korea’s cyber warfare programme dates back to at least the mid-1990s and has since expanded into a cyber unit of about 6,000 personnel known as Bureau 121, according to a 2020 US military report.
In November, Washington announced sanctions against eight individuals accused of being state-sponsored hackers, alleging their illicit activities were carried out to fund North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
The US Treasury has also accused North Korea-linked cybercriminals of stealing more than $3 billion over the past three years, primarily through cryptocurrency-related crimes.
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