Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, disclosed this on Tuesday, saying the project was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during its meeting earlier in the day.

President Bola Tinubu’s administration has approved the conversion of a government property in San Francisco, United States of America into the Nigerian Digital Technology Exchange Program Hub.

The hub will be called Nigerian Startup House.

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, disclosed this on Tuesday, saying the project was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during its meeting earlier in the day.

He said, “Another development from FEC today, which sits firmly in our desire as a Ministry to position Nigeria as a significant player in the global technology landscape, is the approval for the conversion of an existing property of the Federal Government in San Francisco, USA to a Nigerian Digital Technology Exchange Programme Hub (Nigeria Startup House).

“As we work towards achieving key elements of our Trade and IEC Strategic Blueprint Pillars, the Nigerian Startup House will play a critical role in promoting Nigeria’s economic interest, attracting Foreign Direct Investment and improving the visibility and positioning of Nigeria’s Startup Ecosystem to attract funding and expertise from global markets and organisations represented in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

“The San Francisco Bay Area, and nearby Silicon Valley, is recognised globally as a major source of startup ecosystem funding, with a combined GDP value of just over $929 billion and is home to over 200 of the largest companies in the world by revenue.

In addition, most of the $1.3 billion funding sourced by Nigerian technology startups in 2023 alone came from Venture Capital funds in the Bay Area.

“While the ownership of the Nigeria Startup House will remain with the Federal Government, represented by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it will be managed by a consortium of Nigerian digital technology companies who will provide non-public funding for the operations of the Startup House.”

ALX Nigeria, a tech accelerator has embarked on a dynamic journey across multiple universities in Nigeria fostering awareness and offering students unparalleled opportunities to enhance their tech skills and careers.

ALX Nigeria is part of a global organisation, ALX Africa, which is also present in South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Morocco, Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, and other African countries and is actively building the #ALX9jaCommunity.

With successful events hosted at Babcock University, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Landmark University, and LAUTECH, with a final stop at Ibadan Polytechnic, ALX is setting the stage for a new era of engagement and intellectual discourse among students as well as inspiring them to take tech seriously.

As part of its mission to revolutionise learning and empower the next generation of leaders, ALX provides students with a transformative opportunity to connect with innovative tech courses and reach their full potential.

Seun Babajide-Duroshola, ALX Nigeria, Country Marketing Manager, stated, “We are strategically doing this to engage students through thought-provoking conversations, and this is happening across various universities.

“We want to inspire and push them to take charge of their life, and careers, and go all out on a tech-driven lifelong learning journey. Just imagine how powerful it will be for university graduates equipped with tech skills by the time they complete their degree.”

One of the highlights of ALX’s campus tour was the Inter-School Debate, where six universities—Thomas Adewumi University, Landmark University, Redeemers University, Afe Babalola University, University of Ilorin, and Obafemi Awolowo University—competed head-to-head in a battle of intellect and eloquence.

The event highlighted the intellectual prowess of the participating students and fostered friendly and healthy competition among universities.

After rounds of intense deliberation and passionate arguments, Alex Olafisoye, a 500-level student at the University of Ilorin, emerged victorious in the Inter-School Debate.

His team’s dedication, intellect, and rhetorical finesse captivated the audience and demonstrated the remarkable talent nurtured within university campuses. This victory earned his team a coveted cash prize and a brand-new laptop and provided Alex with a unique platform to network and share his ideas.

Alex Olasfisoye, the winner of the competition, expressed his joy as he stated, “This was a unique opportunity for me to network and talk about ideas that I have in mind for a while, and I’m grateful to ALX for providing a platform like this for me to unleash my skill.”

Regarding the Inter-School Debate Competition, Babajide-Duroshola expressed profound enthusiasm and gratitude, stating, “We are excited to witness the incredible response from students across universities.

“The energy and passion displayed during the Inter-School Debate competition were truly inspiring. It reaffirms our belief in the power of tech learning to transform lives and shape the future.” Events like these not only foster academic excellence but also nurture leadership qualities and teamwork skills essential for success in the modern world,” she added.

With its unwavering commitment, ALX Nigeria remains at the forefront of equipping the next generation with the necessary knowledge and skills to thrive in the digital sector. It does so by providing a diverse range of tech programmes and offerings designed to meet the evolving needs of the industry.

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will arraign Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Wednesday for allegedly approving the printing of N684.5m at the rate of N18.96bn.

The arraignment was originally scheduled for April 30, 2024, but was rescheduled following the agreement of the court and the parties.

In the four-count charge filed against him, the EFCC alleged that Emefiele disobeyed the direction of law with intent to cause injury to the public during his implementation of the naira swap policy of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The anti-graft agency also accused Emefiele of unlawfully approving the withdrawal of N124.8 billion from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation.

The former CBN governor will be arraigned on these counts before Justice Maryann Anenih of the FCT High Court, Abuja.

This arraignment will bring to three the number of charges pending against the former CBN governor.

On Nov. 17, 2023, Emefiele was arraigned before Justice Hamza Muazu on a six-count charge of procurement fraud to which he pleaded not guilty.

He was also accused of abusing his office by approving a contract for the acquisition of 43 vehicles totalling N1.2 billion from 2018 to 2020.

On April 8, 2024, the EFCC also arraigned the former banker alongside one Henry Omoile before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos for an alleged $4.5bn and N2.8bn fraud.

He’s also pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The new charge, dated April 2, 2024, was filed by the EFFC prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) alongside eight other lawyers acting on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation.

Counts one to four of the charge, reads,  “STATEMENT OF OFFENCE: Public Servant disobeying direction of law with intent to cause injury to the public contrary to and punishable under Section 123 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89 Laws of the Federation, 1990.

“PARTICULARS OF THE OFFENCE: That you GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE between the 19th day of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007, by approving the printing of N375,520,000.00 pieces of colour swapped N1, 000, at the total cost of N11,052, 068,062 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”

COUNT 2: “That you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE, between the 19th of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, by approving the printing of 172,000,000 pieces of colour swapped N500 (Five Hundred Naira) Notes, at the total cost of N4, 471,066,040 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.

COUNT 3: “That you GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE between the 19th day of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007, by approving the printing of 137,070,000 pieces of colour swapped N200 (Two Hundred Naira) Note, at the total cost of N3, 441, 005, 280 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”

COUNT 4: “That you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE, on or about the 7th day of October 2020, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 80 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended), by approving the withdrawal of the total sum of N124, 860, 227, 865.16 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation in a manner not prescribed by the National Assembly, which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”